Dance With The Devil
by DazzlingRuby101
Summary: It was Halloween night, and somehow Annabeth got forced by her friends to try out an ancient (but incredibly silly) ritual. However, she did not expect to summon a supernatural being, who may or may not be her soulmate...! AU!
1. I Make A Mistake

**Uh, so, hello everyone! This is my first attempt at PJO fic. I've been wanting to write one for months but never really had the chance... So, uh, sorry if the characters sound somewhat OoC. I did it because it is important for the story. May not seem so now, but you will find out in the later chapters.**

 **Enough with my rant. Let's begin!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians! It rightfully belongs to Rick Riordan!**

 **Ch 1: I Make A Mistake:**

Piper stifled a scream as a monster's head was sent off flying. She clutched her cushion tighter to herself, and squeezed her eyes shut.

"For goodness' sake, Pipes," Thalia grumbled as she popped the popcorn into her mouth. "It's just your typical horror movie. It's not like the screen is going to suddenly become alive and gobble you up."

The black-haired girl immediately regretted saying that, because that only made Piper bury her face deep into her cushion. Thalia rolled her eyes. "Geez, you really are an idiot, aren't ya?" she sighed exasperatedly as she crossed her arms. "It's Halloween, and here I am watching some boring movie with an idiot and a walking dictionary. I feel so pitiful."

"And you better apologise to this 'walking dictionary' right away," Annabeth said dryly. "Or I will snatch that popcorn away from you."

"Oh, holy soul," Thalia said in a dramatic manner. "I apologise for my rudeness. Please don't take my popcorn away from me. Thank you very much for your consideration."

Annabeth shot her a look. "Besides, it's not Piper's fault that she is not immune to horror movies like the two of us. It's not surprising that she finds this terrifying. Though I shudder to think what will happen to her if she watches movies scarier than this," she ended with a slight laugh.

"Scarier than this?" Piper looked at her with wide eyes. "How do you even survive through all this? I could barely sleep a wink at night after watching these things. In fact, it's a surprise I haven't died from a heart-fail yet!"

"Well Pipes," Annabeth said as she munched on popcorn. "We survive this because we know this is not real. Demons, monsters, ghosts. Such things don't exist. Also, many horror movies are ridiculously idiotic from an angle."

"Yep, just watching those makes me laugh," Thalia nodded her head.

"Thalia, you're the real monster here," Piper frowned. She screamed once again when a large humanoid scorpion appeared out of nowhere. (In the movie, of course.) Piper clung onto Thalia's arm in a vice grip.

"You know Piper, if you're really that scared, I could just switch off the television if you want me to," Annabeth glanced at her.

Piper's eyes brightened. "Yes, please do!" She faltered. "Unless it's okay with Thalia…?"

The mentioned girl shrugged. "I don't care as long as you let go of my arm. You're cutting off my blood supply." Piper rolled her eyes as she released her.

Annabeth switched off the television and closed her eyes. It was Halloween, and here she was in her messy house with her two friends, watching movies with one who finds them boring, and one who finds them scary. Thalia was right. She too felt pitiful (though she was not going to tell that to Thals of all people).

 _I wonder what the twins are doing right now,_ she thought of home. _I bet they are out trick-or-treating with Dad. Lucky fellows._ Annabeth let out a sigh.

"Now what's with that depressed sigh?" Piper said. "We're not that boring. Probably."

"It's not that, Pi-"

"I know!" Thalia shouted. "I know the perfect thing that will cheer you up!" She grinned at her. "Maybe not _cheer,_ but it will be exciting for all of us." She stared at Annabeth dead in the eye. "You don't believe in folklore, do you?"

Annabeth raised an eyebrow, unsure why her friend was asking this. "I guess it depends on what sort of folklore you are talking about…"

"Perfect!" Thalia's grin widened, her eyes were glinting with excitement. "You see, there was this myth that one of my relatives once told me. Quite an ancient myth. And I want _you_ , my dear, to try it out."

"Why me?" Annbeth asked dryly.

"Exactly! Why her?" Piper repeated, shooting Thalia a curious glance. "Why don't you just try it yourself, Thals?"

"It's always fun if a person like Annabeth tries out stuff like this. The down-to-earth people and all," Thalia winked at the blonde girl, whose left eye had started twitching. "And I'll admit, I'm scared shit to try this out."

Annabeth blinked. Thalia was _scared shit_? Scared of a silly little myth? Did the sun rise in the west that day? _Well,_ she thought. _If Thalia is scared, then this stuff might be somewhat interesting. There's no harm in listening, is there?_ "What's this myth you are talking about?" she inquired.

"So you intend to do it!"

"I'm bored," Annabeth shrugged. "I can spend some time doing this."

"Good!" Thalia dropped her voice to whisper after that, trying to sound eerie but failing massively at it. "And this is what the folklore says. On Halloween night, a young woman has to walk backward on a flight of stairs with a candle in one hand and a hand-mirror in the other, in a dark house. As she gazes into the mirror with the help of the candle light, she is supposed to see the face of her soul-mate. However, there are chances that she might see a skull instead, which indicates that the person dies before meeting her true love!"

Annabeth and Piper looked at each other. "And, that's it?" Piper asked.

"I'm not going to walk back a flight of stairs! Especially not in a house without light! Do you want me to land up in a hospital with a broken leg? Our examinations are not far away!" Annabeth protested.

"Where the heck did _examinations_ come from?" Thalia muttered.

"Besides, I don't even have a hand-mirror," Annabeth continued. "I had one before, but Matthew broke it." She shuddered when she thought back of the time her brother had dropped the mirror and cut his ankle with the glass shards.

"Well, you can just walk backwards while staring into a wall mirror," Thalia shrugged. "It makes no difference."

Annabeth pondered over it. "There is a full-length wall mirror in my bedroom. And I'm sure I have some candles in the kitchen. But this sounds a bit childish." _In fact, this sounds totally ridiculous,_ she wanted to add.

"Hey, I think you should try it out," Piper cut in. Annabeth shot a withering glance at her. The brunette laughed. "Oh, you never know. You may see _Luke's_ face in that mirror," she snickered when Annabeth's face turned beet red.

Thalia slapped her back. "Now that's the Piper I know and love." She wiggled her eyebrows at her blonde friend. "So, whad'dya say Annabeth? Ready to go? Or are you going to chicken out, eh?"

Annabeth huffed. "Very mature, you two," she mumbled, her cheeks still red. "Fine, I'll try out this stupid folklore."

"I'll fetch the candles," Piper said as she raced to the kitchen.

Thalia grabbed Annabeth's arm. "And we're going upstairs!"

-o-o-o-

"Why did I agree to do this?" Annabeth muttered. "Why the hell did I agree to do this?" She looked down at the lit candle in her hand.

"Whatever Chase," Piper said with her hands on her hips. "All that matters is that you've already said yes. You can't back out now. Besides, it's just a _childish_ thing. There's no need to be afraid."

Annabeth scoffed. "I'm not afraid. I just…" _Feel stupid. That's all._

"The two of us will be waiting outside," Thalia nodded her head (why she did that, Annabeth had no idea). "Remember: close the door, turn off the lights, walk bac-"

"- Walk back while looking at the mirror," Annabeth finished. "I know, I know. I have a good memorising power, remember?"

"Alright-y!" Piper clapped her hands. "Good luck meeting your soul-mate Annabeth!" she winked.

Annabeth shot her a glare before slamming the door shut. She let out a sigh as she stared at the light switch. _I can't believe I'm actually doing this._ She bit her lip as she pushed the switch, allowing the room to turn dark.

She stared into the mirror. In the dim orange-light of the candle, her reflection stared back at her. Annabeth made a face. Her reflection did the same. "Well, this feels really awkward," she mumbled.

She took a deep breath and stared ahead at her reflected face. She took a careful, small step backwards, and then another, and then another, her heart pounding hard with each step. She wouldn't be surprised if her heart suddenly jumped out of her chest and landed on the floor. Sure, that would be very gross, but she wouldn't be surprised. _I knew it,_ she mentally screamed. _This thing is stupid! Stupid! I'm not going to see Lu- any face in this freaking mirror!_

After two or three more steps, she felt her lips curl into an amused smile. _What am I thinking? Did I seriously think that I would see a face in the mirror? Sheesh! This is real life, not some stupid, cliché supernatural mov-_

Annabeth sucked in a sharp breath. For a second, she was sure she saw something in that glass! Something like a black haze. Annabeth took another step, and she saw a face flash in the mirror. _Green eyes,_ she immediately thought. _I see green-_

"Oomph!"

Annabeth jumped as her ankles hit against wood and she fell back on her bed. Confused, she blinked a few times and stared at the mirror. Nothing. Just good old reflection staring back at her, looking confused as to why she was confused.

Annabeth felt her heart race. She was sure she saw something in that mirror! She sat still for a moment, before shaking her head at her antics. _What am I thinking? That's just impossible!_ She stared at the candle in her hand. _Maybe it was a trick of the light._ "Yes," she said out loud. "It was a trick of the light."

Chiding herself for the umpteenth time for agreeing to do this thing, she switched on the lights. For a moment, she glanced back at the mirror. She immediately shook her head and slapped her cheek. "Just what do you think you are doing Annabeth?" she muttered as she opened the door.

She came face to face with a grinning Thalia. "Hey!" the punk girl greeted. "Pipes had to go home. Her dad called and asked her to come home for having a father-daughter night or something. She was really disappointed that she couldn't stay and wait for you to come out. But that's not the point. Did you see anything? Any face? Or skull?" she urged in a very excited manner. Her behaviour reminded Annabeth of her twin brothers.

"I didn't see _anything_ ," Annabeth said firmly. "Nothing at all. You should know better than this Thalia. After all, such things don't happen in reality! Did you seriously think that a face would appear?"

Thalia shrugged. "To be honest, not really. But still, I had this strange anxiousness inside me." She gave her a pointed look. "You should really confess to Luke, by the way."

Annabeth felt herself flush. "Stop it," she mumbled. "You know I don't have the guts."

"Still…"

The two stared at each other. Thalia decided to break the tension as she went for a smile. "So, you still up for popcorn and movies?"

-o-o-o-

Annabeth sighed as she closed the front door. After irritating her to no limits and ending all her popcorn, Thalia had finally decided to call it a night and had went back home.

She felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. Today had been quite eventful. Now all she wanted to do was go into her room, crash onto her bed and sleep like a corpse till late morning. Yes, what could be more blissful than that?

Having thoughts like these, she walked into her room and closed the door behind. She shut her eyes. Thalia was right. She should confess to Luke. If she was rejected, fine. She couldn't blame him for rejecting her. After all, there were far prettier, nicer, funnier girls out there. With them around, what chance did she have?

 _I am afraid of rejection!_ she thought. _I am afraid that this silly confession will mark the end of my friendship with him! What shall I do? Should I confess? Or not? Yes? No? Yes? No? Argh, this is crazy! The great Annabeth Chase is going crazy!_

"Are you the one who summoned me here?"

Annabeth gasped and her eyes flew open. She sucked in a sharp breath. How in the world did she not notice the unwanted presence in her room? Because on her soft comfortable bed, the figure of a man sat. A man with green eyes. _Green eyes._ Eyes which Annabeth had seen before.

The man cocked his head, as if waiting for her to reply. Annabeth's mind went overdrive. _Who's this random guy? Why is he here? How is he here? Is he a thief? A rapist? A murderer? Someone dangerous? This is bad. I should do something._

And with that, Annabeth did the only thing that popped into her mind at that moment.

She yelled some random battle cry and hurtled the nearest fat book she could find at the stranger.

-o-o-o-

 **And that's the end? How was it? Good? Horrible? Moderate? Please R &R! **

**Kudos~!**


	2. I Summon Something Unexpected

**Oh my God! So many reviews for the first chapter?! I seriously thought that I had died and gone to Heaven! Seriously! But a huge thanks to all those who reviewed, followed and favourited. Thank you, guys! Thank you so much! I really didn't think that people would like the plot so much! And my writing style is that good? Really? And to those who laughed at the very last sentence of the first chapter: I thought that everybody would find that stupid joke very lame... XD**

 **Anyways, on with the second chapter. I wanted to post this as soon as I could. So there might me errors here and there, and the chapter may seem a bit lame.. But oh well! *laughs nervously***

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Do not make me repeat myself, or else I will break down and cry!**

 **Ch 2: I Summon Something Unexpected:**

The first time Percy felt the pull, he thought he was just imagining things. Or maybe his opponent was pulling tricks with his mind. That was quite possible. After all, they were demons in the middle of a duel. And demons would try any means possible just in order to win.

Percy smirked at supposedly feeble attempt to distract him. His bronze sword clashed with a pitch-dark one. Over the two blades, his green orbs met his cousin's dark ones. _His side is exposed,_ his mind shouted. Percy's eyes glinted as he aimed for a roundhouse kick.

However, Nico managed to dodge at the right moment. _He's gotten more agile,_ Percy thought. Just as he was about to slash again with his sword, he felt the pull once more, stronger this time.

Percy gasped and fell to his knees. His chest was throbbing and it felt as if his limbs were on fire. His sword flew out of his hand and landed elsewhere inside the arena. He growled slightly as Nico pointed his sword towards him.

"You're distracted," the dark-haired boy said in a monotone. "I win, by the way. But you're distracted. That's quite rare."

Percy glared at him. "I want a rematch." He tried to stand up but another jolt of pain sent him back to his knees. He mentally snarled. _I feel pathetic! And Nico's right in front of me. Now, I feel even more pathetic!_

Nico raised an eyebrow in surprise. "We will have a rematch, but not now." He stared at the older demon for a few more seconds. "It seems as though you are being summoned."

"Summoned?" Percy choked out. "At this hour? Who will summon _me_ at a time like this?"

Nico smiled amusedly. "I've heard that people on Earth are celebrating an occasion called Halloween this night. It is popular for humans to try to summon ghosts and spirits on this day. Maybe a lucky fellow got lucky and succeeded in summoning you."

 _Damn!_ Percy gritted his teeth. _I swear, I'll kill that person. He will suffer one of the most painful deaths for having the nerve to summon me!_ The urge was starting to get unbearable. "You!" he snapped. "We will have a rematch when I return! Without any fail!"

Nico didn't even bother to nod as he kept staring at his cousin. "Where are you going?"

"To find the root cause of this… this thing."

Nico tilted his head. "And what shall I tell your mother if she inquires about this?" he asked. "She will get worried."

Percy closed his eyes. "Tell her that I'll be back soon."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Fine then." And Nico kept staring as his cousin disappeared right in front of his eyes. Nico put his sword back into its sheath. "I pity the poor soul that summoned him."

-o-o-o-

The next Percy opened his eyes, he found himself in an unfamiliar room. He raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised to find no one there. He closed his eyes and sensed a feminine aura from the room. _So this room belongs to a girl. Which must mean I am summoned by one._ Percy smirked. _Perfect._

He could hear her voice coming from somewhere downstairs, thanks to his demonic hearing senses. She seemed to be talking to someone, and not after long he could hear the faint sound of a door snapping shut.

Fine then. He will sit down and _patiently_ wait for her to arrive. And he will decide how to deal with her once he sees her. He sat cross-legged on the bed and hung his head down. Percy mused about her reaction on seeing him. That will surely be interesting to see.

It was only a matter of minutes before her aura got closer and closer, and the girl stepped inside into what he assumed was her bedroom. Percy felt a wicked grin creep onto his face. _Let's see what she does now._ He looked up to stare at her, but he suddenly let out a light gasp.

She had her eyes squeezed shut, and was worrying about something. But that wasn't what surprised Percy. It was the aura of the girl that seemed to be pulling him closer and closer. It was a royal blue aura. And its strength was startling. It was like a black hole, pulling him nearer to the girl, and…

Percy froze abruptly. _It couldn't be,_ he thought wildly. _She couldn't be!_ But then, as he kept staring at her figure, he knew that he was right. _So this is her._ It seemed as if this girl was his soul-mate. But how was she able to summon him here? Some ritual?

He kept staring and got really impatient when she didn't open her eyes for a long time. _How much is she going to make me wait?_ He frowned. In the end, Percy decided to break the silence. "Are you the one who summoned me here?" he asked.

He could hear the girl gasp as she snapped her gaze to him with wide eyes. Percy could feel her heartbeat getting faster. He tilted his head to the side, waiting for her to answer (though he knew that she was too dumbfounded to say anything).

Now, Percy had expected many kind of reactions. He had expected her to scream loudly and run out. He'd expected her to be mesmerized by his handsomeness and to keep staring at him. He'd even expected her to fall onto her knees in fear and cry out in fear.

But he hadn't expected a book to come flying at him.

-o-o-o-

Annabeth stared with wild eyes as the man easily dodged the book. No! She had thrown it with so much force! Why did he dodge it?! Annabeth blinked, and gasped again the next moment. There was no one on the bed.

Annabeth gulped. _This is bad,_ she thought. _I think I am starting to hallucinate!_ She turned around in a full circle. Yet it seemed as if she was alone in her room. _But how is this possible?_ her mind screamed. _I'm sure I saw a man! He even talked to me, for goodness' sake! I can't go crazy at such a young age!_

Annabeth sucked in a sharp breath as the next moment, an unfamiliar hand clamped over her mouth and another hand came around her waist. She tried to struggle but to no avail. _Okay, this is really bad._ She closed her eyes. _Maybe I could stamp his foot._ But when she attempted it, the stranger moved his foot at the right time.

"Calm down," the man whispered in her ear. "Just… Calm down."

 _Like Hell I will,_ Annabeth wanted to scream. _You're a stranger inside my room, I have no idea how you got inside, and I also have no idea what you intend on doing to me, and you expect me to calm down?!_ But for some reason, her heart seemed to whisper to her: _Yes, he is correct. Calm down Annabeth._ Now that scared the shit out of her.

However, Annabeth did calm down. She realised that struggling would get her nowhere and she knew better than to waste her energy over nothing. So she stopped moving and allowed the stranger to hold her (as disgusting as that sounds). Maybe she could catch him by surprise sometime later.

The stranger seemed to realise that she wasn't going to struggle anymore as well, but he didn't lessen his grip on her. "Good," he breathed. And for some reason, the sound of his voice made Annabeth blush. "I hope you cooperate like this. I'll answer your questions if you answer mine."

With that he quickly spinned her around so that Annabeth crashed with his chest. She stared at him and her blush deepened. For some reason, just looking into those green eyes made her nervous. And now that she could have a better look at the intruder, she note that he had dark hair. And an extremely handsome face. Not that it meant anything to her. Nope, not at all.

The man frowned slightly at her. "Are you the one who summoned me here?" he repeated his question he had asked earlier.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Annabeth replied, not breaking eye contact with him despite how anxious she felt. She was quite surprised at how confident her voice sounded. She had expected it to come out all wobbly and stammering.

The man leaned in closer, and Annabeth's eyes widened. "Don't lie to me," he said. "You performed the ritual, didn't you?"

For a split second, Annabeth frowned in a confused manner before she started to realise what he was talking about. _The ritual? He couldn't be talking about…_ She stared into his green eyes. There was no doubt that it was his face she had seen in the mirror. "How is this possible?" she muttered.

"So it's true," Greeny looked somewhat satisfied. "You are my soul-mate."

Annabeth couldn't resist herself from giving him a wary look. "You believe in stuff like that. Sure, I agree that I tried out that stupid thing and what-not, but this is crazy! I have got a complete stranger in my room who claims to be my soul-mate." _Yep,_ her conscience said. _Definitely, absolutely crazy._

"You don't believe it?" Greeny inquired with a raised eyebrow and a somewhat cocky look on his face.

Annabeth was about to reply when the gears in her head started turning. _Just wait a second!_ Her conscience screamed at her. _Annabeth, you are getting dumber day by day! This must be the fault of your two stupid friends. But that's not the point! How can you speak so easily to a stranger! Who knows what her might do to you! He is holding you in an embrace, for Heaven's sake!_

Annabeth thanked her conscience a thousand times for breaking her out of her reverie. Honestly, just what was happening to her? Why was she feeling so comfortable and at ease? Yes, she'd had enough. This Greeny better get outta here or she was going to karate-chop him and hand him to the police.

But right now, Annabeth focused on how to get out of his arms. She decided on a surprise attack. She jabbed Greeny's chest with her elbow sharply, and though it didn't seem to hurt him (but it hurt her, a lot), his grip on her somewhat loosened, causing Annabeth to frantically scramble out of his arms.

She immediately grabbed another hard-cover novel from one of her shelves and held it as a shield in front of her. She knew that throwing it would be useless, seeing that Greeny could easily dodge them, but she didn't want to be defenceless (even though technically, she still _was_ defenceless). "Get out of here," she said gravely. "Or else I will chop you alive with this book, and then I'll call the police and you'll be stuck in jail for the rest of your lives."

And the award for the Most Lamest Threat goes to the one and only, the most famous, the most not-so-intelligent, Annabeth Chase.

Greeny looked as if he wanted to laugh (and Annabeth couldn't really blame him), but his face turned serious immediately. "Put the book down, Annabeth."

 _Sure dude, not happening. Nuh-uh!_ her mind screamed. But then she froze. _Hey, how does he know my name? I don't remember telling him… Whatever, I'm not going to back down._ "I'm repeating once again," Annabeth said in louder tone this time. "Get out of my house. Get away from me."

"And I'm repeating myself too. Put the book down, _Annabeth._ "

Annabeth shivered at the way her name rolled off his tongue. As if he was analysing her name and personality. But Annabeth didn't budge. In fact, she clutched the book tighter.

Greeny scowled and took a step forward. For a second, his eyes flashed. Annabeth closed her eyes. _I really am going crazy._ And when she reopened them, she took a sharp intake of breath. His eyes… They were no longer green. Instead, they were glowing red right now.

"Annabeth," he said. "I'm not going to harm you."

And for some reason, Annabeth's body acted all by itself and she found her hands steadily coming down, while her conscience kept screaming _No!_ But her body couldn't resist. Annabeth, without really wanting to, had lowered her guard down entirely.

Greeny (or Reddy?) took another step forward, and Annabeth immediately took a cautious step backwards. For a moment, she was reminded of the ritual, but she had more important things to take care of right now. She gulped. "Who are you?"

Greeny smirked. "Who? Me?"

Annabeth almost screamed when he suddenly vanished and the next moment, he appeared right in front of her. His smirk simply widened at the scared look on her face. "I'm your soul-mate," he whispered. "Just your normal, average demon." Saying that, he kissed her cheek.

His cold lips on her skin was the last thing Annabeth felt before a sudden drowsiness took over her and she fell into the blackness.

-o-o-o-

 **So how was it? I'll be honest, I'm pretty disappointed with this chapter. It could have been much, much, MUCH better. Especially the part with Percy and Nico.. Oh well, please R &R! Your reviews really make my day, and my friends ask me why I keep smiling like a creep all the time... **

**Kudos~!**


	3. I Am Not What You Think

**Uh, so, hello everyone! *laughs nervously* I am very, very, incredibly sorry! But I had my exams to attend to, and they lasted for an entire two weeks! And then I caught a bad cold. Awesome timing, isn't it? -_-**

 **Anyways, thanks to all those who reviewed, followed and favourited. And a special thanks to EmmaChase-Hunter of Artemis, for asking me if life's treating me well. ^_^ Well, to be honest, life's treating me like shit right now, but yeah.**

 **Now, I have made you all suffer by making you wait for so long. And so we have the next chapter! Now that my vacations have begun, I may be able to update faster. So no need to worry!**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS! PLEASE DON'T TORTURE ME ANYMORE!**

 **Ch 3: I Am Not What You Think:**

Annabeth stirred and blinked her eyes a few times, unaccustomed to the light of the sun rays pouring into her room. Once she was fully awake, memories of the previous night pooled into her head. The blonde frowned as she pressed a hand to her forehead. _What a weird dream…_

"I see that you're finally awake."

 _Shit._ Annabeth instantly sat up and winced slightly as the sudden movement hurt her sore muscles. And Annabeth was surprised that she wasn't really surprised, because any normal person would've shrieked out loud at the sight in front of her.

Well, first things first, Greeny was in her room. No surprise there. The thing that interested her was that he was hanging upside-down from the ceiling. Annabeth was shocked at how calm and composed she felt. Maybe her brain was still half-asleep. She wordlessly stared at the boy (if you could call him that). _Did he stay here all night?_ Part of her thought. _That's creepy._

"How?" she asked lamely, wondering if he would understand what she was trying to inquire. Normally she would be more graceful in her etiquettes, but this wasn't a situation you would call normal. And like she had stated before, her brain was having a bit of a problem in functioning properly.

"I told you last night. I'm a demon."

"Right," Annabeth closed her eyes. _So now I have a demon in my room. Or maybe he is some sort of magician or something, and he has hypnotised me into seeing things. Geez Annabeth, thinking these sort of things won't get you anywhere. Just try to calm down and ask logical questions._ She reopened her eyes just to see Greeny looking amused at her silent soliloquy. "So, you're a demon?"

"That's what I said now, didn't I?" he drawled.

 _It's official. I don't like him,_ Annabeth mentally noted. "Like the ones in stories?"

"Depends on what sort of stories you are talking about."

Annabeth cringed. That sentence sounded awfully familiar. "Uh, you know, the ones in which they feed on souls and fight with angels and do black magic and … stuff."

He actually laughed out loud. Annabeth didn't know whether to be offended or embarrassed by the fact that he was laughing at her. Admitted, what she said did sound stupid, but her knowledge on demonology was limited. That didn't stop a tinge of red forming on her cheeks though.

"Not really, no," he said, still chuckling in between. "We feed on negative feelings. Souls are for other purposes. And we usually stay away from angels, and vice-versa. It's just a waste of time to fight them anyway."

"Sure," Annabeth nodded, taking in the information that angels do exist from a 'demon'. She decided to humour him. "So what exactly is a demon doing inside my room?"

"Maybe because you are the one who summoned me here."

Right. That ritual. That _damn_ ritual. She knew there was something fishy about in the first place! "I see," she muttered. She had to deal with this; after all, it was her doing. "And how do I send you back?"

He snorted. "How cocky of you! You think that I couldn't have gone back if I had wanted to?"

That just confirmed the fact that he had voluntarily stayed in her room all night. Creep. But then again, he was a demon. Or so he said. "And why exactly are you still here?" She asked even though she knew the answer. She perfectly remembered the words he had whispered the previous night before she had passed out. _Soulmate…_ Annabeth resisted the urge to shiver.

He leaned closer to her. "Why are you asking me if you already know?" Annabeth blanched. Did he read her mind? Was that some sort of demonic power? Before she could say anything, he continued, "However, it's strange, how you perfectly summoned me. Soulmate or not, it is difficult for a mere mortal to summon a high-rank demon like me." Annabeth had no idea if he was bragging or not.

"I told you, I don't know," she said wryly. "If I had known all this would have happened, I would have strongly protested even more against doing that stuff."

"Oh?" Greeny's eyes flashed, and he smiled. A smile which sent shivers down her spine. "Repeat that again, will you? I didn't really catch that." He jumped down onto the floor and bent forwards, placing a hand on the wall on either side of her head, effectively trapping her. "Well then, _Annabeth,_ if you didn't know that all this would have happened, why did you do the soul-mate ritual in the first place? Maybe you thought it was stupid."

Annabeth didn't tell him that was exactly what she had thought. He narrowed his eyes, a smile still present on his face. "Or maybe you performed it for another man?" he said.

Annabeth gulped and hoped that he wouldn't sense the spike in her heartbeat. Well, his guess was spot-on. Annabeth had hoped that she would see Luke's face in the mirror. But if Greeny found out about that… She didn't want to think about it.

Unfortunately, luck didn't favour her (It never did!). "So, it _was_ another man," he growled as inched his face closer to her.

For a wild second, Annabeth wondered if he was going to kiss her. That thought was enough to set off the alarm bells in her head. She tried her best to push him back. "Woah Greeny, do you think you inch back a little?"

He tilted his head. "Greeny?" That got him off-guard. He still was close enough to her to feel her breaths, but at least he wasn't growling like a wild animal anymore.

"Uh, yeah, because I don't think you've ever mentioned your name to me. Which I think is unfair. Because you know my name, and I have no idea how the heck you know it, maybe you just read my mind or something, or maybe it's some sort of powers you demons have, or maybe…" Annabeth cleared her throat and stopped her useless babble. "Anyways, the point is, I don't know your name."

Greeny looked as if he was stifling a laugh (which he no doubt was). "So you named me Greeny?" he said amusedly.

Annabeth flushed slightly and let out a huff. It did sound like a name a person would give to a plushie, not some random demon. "My point stands."

"Percy."

At first Annabeth misheard it as 'mercy'. She blinked. "Huh?"

The demon rolled his eyes. "That's my name. Actually, it's Perseus, but who would want to have a complicated-sounding name like that? Hence for now, my name is Percy."

"Oh, that's a…" _Human-sounding name,_ Annabeth mentally added. If the demon- Percy- had not been hanging upside down from her ceiling, and had his eyes not flashed red, Annabeth would have readily taken him as a human.

He didn't have any of the characteristics she thought a demon might have. To be honest, she had no idea what characteristics a demon should have, but she had expected fangs, horns, a pointy tail and bat wings. And he didn't seem to have any of those as of yet.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "That's a?"

"Nothing."

" _That's a nothing?_ Seems like you need some improvement on your sentence making skills."

"I can make sentences just fine," Annabeth snapped. It seemed to her as if she was getting too close with the demon. Human or non-human, soulmate or non-soulmate, he was still an intruder in her house. Annabeth looked around. "Aren't you going back? How are you so comfy even though the sun is up?"

"A high-level demon like me does not get affected by this small amount of sunlight. Now, if the sun's rays were hitting me directly, I could tolerate it to some extent, but the low-level demons would readily burn."

"So if I run outside right now you won't be able to follow me?"

Percy snorted. "Nice try, Annabeth, but I could simply possess a human body to follow you. Sunlight affects the demon's physical body, but it would not affect a soul preserved in a human shell. Besides," his eyes narrowed once again, and Annabeth was reminded of the fact that he was still very close to her. "What makes you think that I will let you go?"

 _So he has no intention of leaving me?_ Annabeth frowned. "Well sir, if you don't let me go, then how am I supposed to move about?"

"That's the point. You're not supposed to move about."

It was Annabeth's turn to narrow her eyes. "And you intend to trap me here for how long?"

"No idea."

Annabeth was pissed off at how calmly he said that. "What do you mean by that?" she snapped. "And now that I'm trapped here, just what exactly do you intend to do with me?"

"Indeed, what should I do with you?" He tilted his head. "Maybe I should mark you? You are my mate after all."

Annabeth paled. "No."

"What?"

Annabeth shook her head vigorously. "I'm not ready," she stared wearily at him. "Aren't you supposed to stay back, because I'm uncomfortable and as my… soulmate, you shouldn't do anything that makes me uncomfortable, should you?"

"And now a mortal is giving me advice on what a mate should do."

"I do have a right."

"And what if I don't agree?" Percy whispered. "Do you know how many centuries I have been searching for my mate? Do you know how much I have been yearning for this moment?" He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "What makes you think I'll hold back after so long?" He nibbled on her ear.

Annabeth felt the rise in her heartbeat. "Stop," she whispered, trying to struggle out of his grip. Her attempts were fruitless, thanks to the large difference in their strength. She shut her eyes tightly. What was wrong with her? Despite being weaker, she couldn't just allow him to force her into doing something she didn't want to. "I said stop it!" she shouted. Near his ear.

The effect was immediate. Percy jerked back at her shout and rubbed his ear, growling slightly. Annabeth had figured that his hearing was sensitive. Almost all supernatural beings had sensitive auditory senses, and she had hoped that this one would be no different.

"Now _you_ listen to me, you arrogant jerk!" she glared at him, her voice getting louder with anger with each second. "I don't give a shit whether you are my _freaking_ soul-mate or not, but when I say that I'm not comfortable with something, it means that I'm _not comfortable with something!_ It does not matter whether you are a demon or not! Just because you've found your mate after who-knows-how-many _goddamn_ centuries, does not mean that you could do whatever you want to do with me without my consent!"

She paused to take a deep breath. Before Percy could open his mouth to say something, she lashed out at him once again.

"First, you appear out of nowhere in my room, then you _freaking_ scare me half to death, you spend the entire night in my room watching over me without any shame and _now you have the nerves to do this?!_ Just because you are stronger than me, you think you could treat me like some _bloody weak and submissive_ medieval lady? And after that entire _high-rank demon_ shit, you think what I say to you is not acceptable? You, sir, are a _bloody, stuck-up, shameless, haughty bastard!"_

"Are you done now?" Percy asked calmly after her little speech was over.

"Oh, and what makes you think that, _you egotistical asshole_?" Annabeth got off from her bed and stood with her arms crossed. "Just because I have been acting like a clueless, little idiot all this time does not actually make me one! What made you think that you could force me to do anyth-"

"I'm sorry."

"-ing I don't wa – huh?" Annabeth blinked, her cheeks still red with anger.

Percy turned his head to the side. "I said I'm sorry."

Annabeth frowned. "At least have the guts to look into my eyes and apologise," she said.

Percy turned his head to look at her. "I'm sorry," he said while staring deep into her grey orbs.

For a split-second, Annabeth forgot why she was so angry at him (and she had no idea why that happened). Well, at least his apology sounded somewhat genuine. She couldn't be sure. He was a demon, and demons were known for trickery. She cleared her throat and looked down. "It's okay, I guess."

She didn't get a reply. Confused, Annebeth waited for a few seconds before looking up. She blinked before looking around her room. Percy was no longer there. He had, well, vanished. Without even her knowing it, though she had been only a few feet away from him. She took a deep breath. _Well, that was a good riddance._ She sneaked a glance at her wall-clock. _Get ready, Annabeth. The rest of the day is in front of you._

-o-o-o-

Annabeth hummed slightly to herself as she tossed the things present on her _Things-To-Buy-the-Next-Time-I-Go-Grocery-Shopping_ list into the cart. But nothing stopped her from peeking over her shoulder every now and then, afraid that she would find a stalker behind her, who would by possessed by a certain someone.

She mentally chided herself to keep her paranoia in check. But to put it simply, Annabeth was scared. She really was scared of the demon, after all the strength he had shown to have that day. And Annabeth was sure that was only a little bit of his total power. She sighed. What has she gotten herself into?

She kept browsing the racks, wondering if she had forgotten to put something in her shopping cart, until suddenly:

"You have the smell of a demon over you."

Annabeth gasped silently and spun around. The speaker was a girl (who seemed to be of her age) standing a few feet away from her, her pitch-black hair drawn into a single braid. Her black orbs narrowed at her. "I have no idea why you smell like one, but you sure do."

She stepped closer to her and placed her hands over her hips. For a moment, Annabeth wondered if she was going to scold her. But all of a sudden, her face broke into a grin. "Having problems with the supernatural, milady? Then I think that I may be able to help you."

-o-o-o-

 **Okay, sorry if the chapter was boring and filler-type. But seriously, everything that happened in this chapter was pretty much important. I will try my best to keep every chapter non-filler!**

 **Review everyone! And follow! And favourite! You guys rock, y'know? I love y'all! Even the ones who actually bother to read this story at all! XD**

 **PS: Any guess who our mystery girl is? It's pretty easy. Lel. :P**

 **Kudos~!**


	4. I Need Your Help

**Hey everyone! It's a new chapter. Woo! \\(^_^)/ And it's longer than the usual length of chapters I write. So, I'm not going to say much. Thanks to all those who reviewed, followed, favourited. You guys seriously made my day. It's good to know that people enjoy my writing. Now all I'm worried about is my exam results.. *crosses fingers***

 **And in this chapter we will find out who our mystery girl is... Hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I'm pretty sure I don't own it in any parallel universe either.**

 **Ch 4: I Need Your Help:**

"How do you know?" Annabeth muttered.

"Hm? I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," the dark-haired girl raised an eyebrow.

Annabeth cleared her throat and looked around to check if anyone was paying them any attention. "How do you know that? That I smell like a demon," she whispered, afraid that people would hear her and label her as a wacko.

"I have a sensitive nose," the girl chuckled. "And the scent seems fresh. But now there is the even bigger question. What were you doing near a demon? Do you know how dangerous that could be? Demons usually tend to be short-tempered. Say one wrong word to them, and then they will…" she made a slashing gesture with her hand.

Annabeth didn't need her to elaborate. "Listen, this is not the right place to talk about these things. Someone might overhear."

The girl nodded. "Believe me, I was thinking just that. How about you pay for those items while I wait here? I know the perfect place for you if you are facing problems with demons."

Annabeth paused, wondering if she could trust the girl or not. The stakes were hard, considering Percy had said earlier that he could possess a human body. Would he possess a female body as well as imitate a lady's voice? He was a demon. And demons were unpredictable.

The girl seemed to have noted her worry and she made a tsk-ing sound. "I don't think you trust me. Don't worry, you're not the first one. However, believe it or not, I'm not lying," she closed her eyes.

"It's okay," Annabeth said. "I'll – I'll go with you." It was quite a risk, but she was willing to take it. She couldn't protect herself from Percy. If he had not disappeared suddenly that morning (she still had no idea why he did that), if he had still stayed in her room, what would've he done to her? She couldn't always shout near his ear.

And now, she had a girl in front of her, who might be able to help her with her problems. Maybe she could help her to weaken Percy a bit, or maybe she could help her to stay away from the demon forever. But Annabeth knew that she may be walking straight into a trap. Yet knowing that, she agreed. Why? The answer was simple. She was desperate. Desperate enough to protect herself from the demon.

The girl nodded slowly, as if she was encouraging her decision. "Good. Now hurry up and pay for those things. I'm not really a patient person. After you are done, we will proceed."

"Sure," Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I didn't really catch your name, though. I'm Annabeth, by the way."

"Nice to meet you Annabeth," the girl's black eyes twinkled. "My name is Reyna."

-o-o-o-

"Mother, you summoned me?"

"You didn't show up last night," Sally shook her head as she eyed her son. "I know you are grown up now and all, but you could have told me you would be gone."

Percy frowned. "I told Nico to tell you about that."

"Hearing from Nico will not make me calm down," Sally chided slightly. "If I heard it directly from you, then I would have been somewhat assured. Where did you disappear off to suddenly?"

"I… was summoned," he bit his lip.

His mother blinked. "Summoned? By a mortal?" Percy nodded his head. "Oh my, and how did that happen? How did a mere mortal summon _you_ of all demons? And more importantly, what did you do to that poor soul? Killed him?"

 _Quite the opposite,_ Percy thought. _And it's a her, not a him._ "No, Mother."

"What do you mean?"

"Uh, well you see, I found my… my… mate," he whispered the last part, hoping that his cheeks weren't red. Then he realised with a start that he was a demon, and demons don't blush. _Strange,_ he mused. _I wonder why I thought that._

For a few seconds Sally looked at him with a blank look on her face, and Percy wondered if she had even heard him or not. But all of a sudden her face broke into a dazzling smile. "You did? That's – That's – Really, my darling boy is growing up so fast! He has already found his own mate! I am very happy for you, Percy."

 _I am a few centuries old, Mother,_ Percy wanted to say. _You call that growing up 'fast'?_ "Thank you, Mother," he replied earnestly. "However, I want your honest opinion on this. Would this work out? A demon and a human?"

Sally shrugged. "Why not? It happened with _my_ mother and father, so why couldn't it happen with you." She paused. "Okay, so maybe some demons may not accept her because of our urban thinking pattern, but I am sure the two of you can pull it off." She smiled at him once again. "All that matters is that you should love her, and she should love you, and then everything will be fine."

The younger demon closed his eyes. "Yes." But Annabeth didn't love him. And he didn't fully love her yet. Yes, he felt possessive over her, and he was attracted towards her, but he wasn't totally in love with her for now. As for Annabeth, he had no idea if she even liked him or not. The demon inside his head growled slightly. _She will get used to me._ "Yes, you're absolutely correct."

"I know I am," his mother said lightly, causing him to laugh.

"So, am I allowed to leave now?"

"Why the rush?" Sally raised an eyebrow. "So eager to get back to your girl? And you didn't even tell me a single thing about her! But oh well. I guess currently you're distracted. We will have a long chat when your… business is complete."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Sure Mom, whatever you say," he shot her a grin before stepping out of the room. He could see his mother making a shooing gesture with her hand before he closed the door.

Now what to do? He could tell that it was still sunny in the mortal world, so he couldn't follow Annabeth easily. Sure, he could possess a human and follow her. But if she finds out she would trust him even less. And that was something he didn't want. _Maybe I should stay away from her for some time,_ he wondered. _I will go back to her side this night._

"Oh, Perseus!"

And here came the moment when his day plummeted into hell. Forcing a smile on his face, he turned around. "Miss Tanaka," he said politely. "I did not sense you approaching. Oh, and please call me Percy."

"Of course, of course, silly me! It's my mistake, and please no formalities, you can call me Drew as well." Drew Tanaka, another one of the highest-ranking demons. Though her rank was not as high as his, it was damn close. She stepped closer to him and winked. "Speaking with your mother, were you?" she placed a hand on his chest.

"I sure was," Percy said, fighting the urge to slap her hand away and run off from her sight. He pulled back. "And please remove your hand, Drew." He gently removed her hand, but her grip tightened.

"And why is that? You don't like it?" she leaned even more closer to him, her eyes fixed on his lips. "What if-" she stopped abruptly. "You have the smell of a human over you," Drew looked up at him with a small smirk. "Did you have a nice kill?"

That was almost enough to make Percy unleash his rage. "I think you are mistaken. Besides, I must go now."

"Then why do you have the smell of a mortal?!" she shouted at him, sniffing the air slightly.

"What does it matter to you?" he snapped back, having no idea why she suddenly became angry at him.

"It does!" she snarled at him. "You think I don't know, do you? I know that you were with your so-called mate the entire night! I heard every single thing you told your mother! What do you think these demon ears are for?"

"Were you stalking me?" Percy asked as calmly as he could.

"Why do you have to go to her side? Don't you remember that night the two of us spent together?!"

"That night was a mistake."

Drew laughed hysterically in return. "How pitiful!" she sneered. "A demon having a human mate! Surely you don't love that horrid creature, do you? Why should you, when you can find much better in the demon realm." She extended her arms. "A human will do you no good, Perseus. She cannot pleasure you the way I can. Leave her, and claim me in her place. Besides, mortals are weak, and all that matters to us is their body. Perhaps you could rip off her eyes as a memento and then-" Drew gasp as a hand encircled her throat.

She looked up at the male demon's red eyes. She growled at him, and he growled in return as his grip on her neck tightened. Drew could feel his claws puncturing her skin.

"You know Tanaka, has anyone told you that you are really infuriating?" he smirked. "I may not love her yet, but know that my heart belongs to her. And why do you desire me, Drew? Just for my body, don't you? The horrid creature is not her, in fact, it's you," he glared. "You should be more careful about what you speak. It's getting really hard for me not to kill you."

-o-o-o-

"So you're an exorcist?" Annabeth inquired.

"More like an exorcist in training," Reyna replied, then nodded at her bags. "Those seem heavy. Need help?" Annabeth shook her head. Reyna spoke as they continued walking, "My older sister runs an exorcist shop. To normal people it appears as a mere florist store, but that's just its outward appearance. It provides the greatest camouflage. Once you come in, you'll be left spellbound. It has almost everything an exorcist requires daily."

Annabeth smiled. "That sounded a bit haughty," she joked.

"It did, didn't it?" Reyna smirked. They walked for a few minutes before she halted and announced, "We're here."

Annabeth stared at the shop in front of her with an open mouth. It did look like a flower shop. The racks were filled with vases containing different sorts of bouquet of flowers. There were flowers that Annabeth knew, and ones she had never seen. Roses, lilies, daisies, dahlia, gerberas, petunias, and the list went on and on.

"It's pretty, isn't it? This is the main source of our income," Reyna leaned on the counter. "Oi, anybody there?"

"Selling flowers?" Annabeth asked as a girl with extremely curly brown hair appeared behind the counter.

"Why not? Being a florist is more than a decent profession. The flowers will keep you happy," she turned to look at the newcomer. "Hazel, I have brought a customer."

Hazel blushed, whether in annoyance or embarrassment Annabeth couldn't tell. "Reyna, it's afternoon. You know that the store is closed till-" she sneaked a glance at the blonde and paused. "Oh, you mean _that_ kind of customer." She smiled, her eyes glistening like molten gold. "I'm Hazel Levesque. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm Annabeth Chase," she said as she shook hands with the girl.

"Is my sister inside, Hazel?" Reyna piped in.

"Where else?" Hazel pointed towards a door present near the back counter. "Go on in. I will join you two in a second," she smiled.

Reyna nodded and she beckoned Annabeth to follow her. The door opened to reveal a long passage, lit by yellow and red bulbs placed at regular intervals. _The walls are cold_ , Annabeth thought as she placed a hand on the stony wall as they sauntered forward. "You're right," she said after some time. "Nobody will even suspect that there is a secret exorcist shop inside."

Reyna simply hummed as they approached another door at the end of the passage. A huge signboard hung over the door reading 'Panacea'. Beneath it, in smaller block letters, was written 'Strictly For Exorcists'. Without a doubt, this was the store that belonged to Reyna's sister. The dark-haired girl knocked twice, until a voice shouted:

"Enter!"

Annabeth saw her companion giving her a reassuring smile (she thought it was supposed to reassure her) before she opened the door, and the two of them stepped inside.

Reyna's sister was very tall. And when Annabeth said 'very tall', she meant it (considering she was quite tall herself). And she looked exactly like her younger sister. The same black hair and black eyes, though she let her hair fall down her back instead of braiding it. Reyna cleared her throat. "So that's my sister."

"Reyna," her elder sister narrowed her eyes. "And Reyna's… acquaintance. I am Hylla Ramirez Arellano." She closed the book she was reading when they had arrived and placed it on one of the shelves. Now that Annabeth was inside she could see that the shelves were lined with books, some unique potted herbs, a few gemstones and items of jewellery placed here and there, even a few daggers and pocketknives and other handy weapons. A bundle of sceptres were present in a one corner of the room. "How may I help you?" Hylla continued when none of them spoke.

"Annabeth here is having some problems with a demon," Reyna waved her hand in the blonde's direction. "Also, you can keep your bags down. There's no need to keep holding them all this time." Annabeth nodded and did as she was told.

"Demon?" Hylla's eyebrows rose so high that they disappeared beneath her bangs. "Explain."

And Annabeth told her everything, from the ritual, to how Percy had appeared in her room in the middle of night, their conversation that morning, how eager he was to mark her as his mate when she didn't want him to. It felt nice to speak about all that stuff with someone.

"A demon male, eh?" Hylla closed her eyes once she was done talking. "I feel sorry for you, having to deal with a domineering male like that."

"Hylla hates men. Not only demon males, but also normal men in general. Like, she really hates them. Once a man tried to approach her, and you should have seen the way she punched his face and kicked him to the ground. Pure déjà vu. Though that's not the point," Reyna said.

"I see," Annabeth tried to smile, but it came out all wobbly.

"What you did back there was a demon mate ritual," Reyna bit her lip.

"I thought it was only a simple soulmate summoning ritual."

"Many people think that, that's why they are so eager to try it out," Reyna made a face. "But it reality, it's a ritual performed by people to check whether they have a demon mate or not. Suppose, you are a normal human, and you do not have a demon mate, the ritual would not work and all you would see is you reflection only, regardless of the fact if you have a human soulmate or not. That is why majority of people label this ritual as fake, because they don't see any face in the mirror."

"And you want this demon to stay away from you?" Hylla frowned.

Annabeth thought for a while. "I just want him to have less control over me. If you get what I mean."

Hylla's sour face indicated that she had understood exactly what Annabeth had meant. "You will still allow him to woo you?"

Annabeth was tempted to blush, but was afraid that Hylla would throw a tantrum and refuse to help her if she did so. "He seems nice enough… when he is not so possessive and stuff. I think that it will be nice to know him a bit. But if he still remains a jerk and whatever, I vow that I will follow your advice and swear off from boys for the rest of my life."

Annabeth expected Hylla to do many things (for instance, chucking a book at her for trusting the male species), but she did something that no one expected. She cracked a smile. "You know little girl, I like you," she smirked as she scanned all the shelves quickly. After a few seconds, she handed Annabeth a simple rose locket. "This is made of agate. Put it on that demon of yours and we will see how he will be able to say no to any of your wishes."

Annabeth stared at the locket as she took it in her palms. "Thank you, that's fine and all. But _how exactly_ am I supposed to make him wear this?"

Hylla stared at her with a perfect poker face, all traces of a smile having already vanished. "You're smart. I can tell that. I'm sure you'll figure something out."

 _But what if I don't?!_ her mind screamed. But Annabeth steeled her resolve. Surely she could do _this_ much. She didn't want to feel useless anymore.

"Also, take these," Hylla handed her a few strips of yellow paper. "Chant these incantations if the demon resists too much. But use only one at a time. Once you chant the entire thing written on one strip, it will soon burn away. So make sure you use them carefully."

"Take this as well," Reyna handed her a dagger. "It's made up of celestial bronze, which is deadly to demons. I know that the demon you're talking about wouldn't hurt you and stuff, considering you're his soulmate. But he is not the only demon in this world. Demons are prone to jealousy, so many can try to attack you. You can't rely on that man all the time, can ya?" Reyna's smirk matched her sister's, and those two had never seemed more alike. "Gotta stand up on your own legs and fight for yourself."

"Thank you, thank you," Annabeth felt the gratitude swelling up inside her heart. "And how much do I owe you?"

"We don't charge money for exorcism business," Hylla shook her head. "The florist shop is our main source income. We easily manage with that."

Annabeth pursed her lips and nodded, remembering that Reyna had said the same thing before. "Thank you," she said earnestly (once again).

"Feel free to come back if you're facing more difficulties. You know little girl? You remind me of myself when I was younger."

Annabeth almost laughed. "Because I go about punching random men on the streets?"

Hylla stared at her for a long time. "No, because I have faced difficulties with demons as well, back when I was your age." She closed her eyes. "And don't forget to take those bags with you."

-o-o-o-

"Say, how old is your sister?"

"Uh, she's twenty-two, if I remember correctly. Why do you ask?"

"She keeps calling me 'little girl'," Annabeth muttered.

"Hylla has a habit of giving nicknames to people who are not related to her," Reyna said. "Except Hazel, because she feels like family though she is not related to us."

Annabeth thought back of the short, curly-haired, dark-skinned girl she had met a few minutes back. "Didn't she say that she would join us after some time? Where is she?"

"Why don't you go ask her yourself," Reyna nodded towards the figure of a girl approaching them. She grinned. "Well Hazel, I see that you have been spending time chatting with your boyfriend. Did he ask you on a date?"

Hazel rolled her eyes. "Why should I tell that to _you_ of all people?" She smiled at Annabeth. "Are your problems solved?"

Annabeth smiled back. "Yes." She had slipped the exorcism items into one of her bags. Now, the locket and incantations were fine, but she didn't know how people would react if she openly carried a dagger with her.

"And as my sister had said, you can come visit again anytime," Reyna took out her phone. "Take my number so that we can be in contact. Oh, and tell me when you manage to get that locket on that demon."

The blonde closed her eyes and sighed. Now all she had to do was to figure out an efficient way to make her demon wear that locket.

-o-o-o-

Somewhere, in a place filled with darkness, Drew Tanaka let out a bloodcurdling scream as she scratched the floor with her claws. "Damn that mortal! You - You have the guts to steal Percy from me, do you?! Ugh!" She clenched her fists tightly.

But she had nothing to fear. She had already memorised the girl's scent that had been emitting from Percy. _Jasmine._ Drew made a face. The girl had a strong smell of jasmine… and sandalwood. How utterly disgusting.

She gently touched her neck, feeling sure that Percy's claw marks were still visible. Drew closed her eyes. Would the male demon be mad if she _accidentally_ killed his mate? She smirked. Maybe after that, he would realise how valuable Drew was. After the mortal's gone, Percy will be hers. And hers only. She let out a maniac laugh. "I hope you are ready for death, bitch," she spat out, grinning widely. "Because that's exactly what you deserve!"

-o-o-o-

 ***laughs nervously* And that is the end. Nobody thought it was Reyna.. I'm surprised. But yes, after looking at the reviews, I was reminded that there are, in fact, many people with black hair and eyes... And a braid... Guess I should have made it a bit more obvious. One reviewer thought it was Aphrodite, and I was like 'What?!'.. Ah well, at least you guys bother to read these stupid author notes.. I'm glad for that! ^_^**

 **And, we have our very first villain! (Though more will soon follow) And the next chapter wi** **ll feature a person who you will have mixed feelings (or instant hatred) for! Any guesses?**

 **Please R &R! Until next time, then!**

 **Kudos~!**


	5. I Have A Bad Feeling About This

**So hello! Here I am! *steps into spotlight* And guess what I have brought? A new chappie of DWTD! (Though it's a bit short)**

 **I won't say much.. Thanks to all the reviewers, followers and favouriters. And to those who want to see Annabeth kick Drew's ass (and a protective Percy), don't worry! That moment is not far away! I promise! And OMG! 60 reviews?! With only 4 chapters?! *faints***

 **Disclaimer: I do not own freaking Percy Jackson and the Olympians!**

 **Ch 5: I Have A Bad Feeling About This:**

"You are damn distracted," Thalia scowled as she threw a strawberry at Annabeth. "And it's annoying the heck outta me. Sure, I know that whatever I say hardly ever makes sense, but at least have the courtesy of pretending to listen! You know how much that hurts my ego?" Annabeth easily avoided the scary fruit by a mere tilt of her head, but Thalia's fury was not satisfied. "And you!" the spiky-haired girl turned to look at Piper. "Why have you been sighing dreamily every time I've seen you today? And you've got that oh-my-I'm-in-love kind of look in your eyes!"

Piper blinked rapidly once she noticed the glare Thalia was shooting her. "I'm not distracted," she quickly said, smiling a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "And I'm not in love either," she added as an afterthought.

Thalia scoffed disbelievingly. "Sure, sure, you expect me to accept that shit? Not after the way you paused before you said you weren't in love."

"Hmph, it really is nothing," Piper huffed as she looked away in another direction. "It's just… I was thinking of this blond boy I saw yesterday at the mall," she said in a softer tone. Annabeth perked up at this new piece of information. And the way Piper spoke, it seemed as though she were harbouring a crush.

"And?" the black-haired girl raised an eyebrow. "You instantly fell in love with him once you laid eyes on him?"

"Not at all! That's ridiculous!" Piper laughed. "Though, that person, he had such a calming aura around him. Just looking at him would make all your worries seep away. It was a such a soothing aura, almost like he wasn't human at all," Piper closed her eyes, smiling slightly. "Just like an angel."

The other two girls remained silent for a long time, and awkwardness prevailed in the air surrounding them. "So, you do like him?" Annabeth asked quietly.

Piper shook her head. "How can I like a person I've never talked to? I'm just feeling a bit inspired, you could say. I want to have a calming effect over people as well."

"The heck?" Thalia muttered. "If what you're saying is really true, then I wanna meet that guy right away!"

Annabeth sat silently, pondering over what her brunette friend had said. She realised that Piper was merely using the word 'angel' as an exaggeration. But what if this blond person she was talking about actually was an angel? Demons existed, so why not angels? Besides, Percy had already confirmed that fact earlier. So, what were the odds?

Speaking of the demon, he hadn't shown up at all the previous night. Annabeth's hand unconsciously crept into her blazer pocket and fingered the locket present there. Now, why had she brought it to her academy? She had no idea. Just creeped out that he might possess some human and follow her.

But why hadn't he shown up? She wasn't complaining about his absence, not at all. However, it was weird. Had he been that much embarrassed by saying sorry to her? Quite possible. Had he been scared by her angry speech? Annabeth nearly snorted at the ridiculous thought. Or had something happened to him? Or perhaps-

"Annabeth," Thalia tapped her forehead. "I know you are stressed and all, but please, let it go."

Annabeth stared at her with wide eyes. _I spaced-out once again,_ she thought. _Why am I thinking about him in the first place?_ She shook her head slightly. "I'm fine Thals," she absent-mindedly bit into the apple she was holding.

"It's about the exams, isn't it?" Thalia frowned. "I don't get why you're so worried about that. It's obvious you're going to be first this time as well. So, there is not much need to stress about."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I am not worried about _that._ "

"Then what? I think I need to take you to that blond guy," Piper said jokingly. "He might be able to pacify you. But oh!" Her eyes started to twinkle in mischief and she smirked. "My eyes are currently seeing a _certain_ blond person who will make you jump with joy. Or maybe he will give you a heart attack. I am not really sure."

Annabeth quickly turned around, her hair hitting her face not-so-elegantly, just to see _him_ giving her a wide grin. Annabeth immediately felt glad that she was already sitting down, because her knees started to feel wobbly. Now why did that happen? Piper was right. Annabeth was soon enough going to suffer from a heart attack.

"Annie," Luke greeted as he stopped right in front of her. He was probably the only person who could call her that and get away safely (just because she harboured a _teeny-weeny crush_ on him). "Thalia, Piper," he acknowledged her companions.

"Hey Luke," Annabeth attempted a smile, hoping that she wasn't blushing too hard. Her two friends simply nodded their heads in greeting. "Uh, is everything alright?"

"So, I was wondering," Luke ran a hand through his hair. "It's been quite some while since the two of us last hung out. Hence I wanted to ask," he cleared his throat. "Are you free this Saturday?"

Well, had he asked her the same thing two days ago, Annabeth would've fainted out of joy. But right then, she froze, her mind immediately thinking about the male demon. What would he do if he found out that she went out with 'another male'? He would probably slaughter Luke and then do god-knows-what to him.

As if noticing her hesitation, Luke instantly said, "It's not a date, if that's what you're worried about. Just a normal hang-out as friends. How does that sound?"

 _Friends. He said friends,_ Annabeth thought. Would Percy mind if she just went out with him as friends? Then she mentally frowned and chided herself. _Stupid, it's your life. Why are you so worried about what he thinks or not? He doesn't own you. Besides, Luke said it himself, he just wants to hang out as 'friends'. So if Percy still feels possessive, it's his problem!_ "Y-yes, I'm free." _But what it that freaking demon hurts him?!_ her mind screamed.

Luke's grin widened. "Great! Be ready by seven on Saturday. We'll go to the movies." Saying that, he slightly waved his hand at her friends before walking away.

Annabeth heard Thalia let out a low whistle. "My, my, who would've expected that?"

"But he regards you as a friend," Piper sighed. "Blind fool. You must be dejected right now, Annabeth."

 _Dejected?_ Annabeth mentally scoffed. _I am close to having a panic attack right now._

-o-o-o-

Annabeth sighed as she opened the door to her house, and slumped against it once she closed it. She brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face and then rested her palm on her cheek. _Good, it's not warm._ She was afraid that she had been blushing hard the entire time Luke had walked her home. _You're horrible, Annabeth,_ she winced. _You have a soulmate, yet you harbour a crush on another guy._

She dropped her bag on one of the couches and went upstairs, loosening her tie on her way. As she entered her room, she came face to face with a scowling Percy. Annabeth was so shocked that she totally forgot about the locket in her pocket. "How long have you been here?" she asked as she took a step back.

In the blink of an eye, Percy had pinned her down to the floor. Annabeth let out a gasp. She didn't notice his movement at all! Percy smirked, as if reading her mind. "Were you even paying attention? Idiot. I've been here for long enough." His eyes darkened as he paused to sniff the air. "And more importantly, why do you smell like a male?"

 _How did he know that?_ Annabeth thought wildly. _Is that some sort of a demon power as well? And how exactly is a male supposed to smell like?_ She had no idea. Annabeth tried to struggle against his grip, but his hold on her merely tightened as his eyes flashed red for a few seconds.

"Annabeth," he growled out. "Were you with a boy?" He brought his face closer to her. Annabeth suddenly felt her breath hitch in her throat. Blood was flooding to her cheeks once again. _Isn't – Isn't he a bit too close?_ His eyes narrowed at her. "Answer me!"

"Yes," she muttered out the truth. There was no point in lying, considering that the 'scent of a male' was all over her. "But he's just a friend though. You don't have to be so jealous."

He growled slightly. "Who said I was jealous?" he whispered as he bent down to kiss her neck. Annabeth stiffened. _Didn't that escalate a bit too quickly?_ Percy rested his head in the nape of her neck, so that she could feel his cool breath tickling her skin. Did demons even breathe? Annabeth could swear that Percy was doing this on purpose, just to tease her.

She squeezed her eyes shut as he breath started to come out in short pants. _This shouldn't be happening! I must stop him!_ "Percy," she managed to say. "You're too close. Stop."

"Why? You desire me. Even if you don't realise it yet, it's obvious. Then why do you still resist this?"

Annabeth's eyes widened as she felt his pointed canines against her skin. _Oh no, no, no! This can't happen! I've got to put the locket on him quickly! Otherwise who knows what this might lead to! But how do I get him off me? How do I distract him? Think Annabeth! Quick!_ And without having any other thought (mainly because she didn't have time for that), Annabeth stupidly blurted out, "Angel!"

Well, at least it worked. He stiffened and pulled back slightly to look at her. "What?"

"Uh, angels exist right?"

"They do," he frowned. "And why exactly are you asking me this?"

"Well, my friend – female friend, mind you – saw this mysterious blond guy who had, uh, 'a soothing aura' around him, or that's how she put it. And she absent-mindedly described him as an angel. Now, I'm sure that she didn't mean that he literally was an angel. But, um, I was curious, so…" Inwardly, Annabeth kicked herself for the lame-sounding excuse. _Sorry, Mr-Blond-Guy,_ she mentally cringed. _I am using your description for vain and selfish purposes! I really am sorry!_

Percy thought about it for a while (that's what his expression looked like to Annabeth. Or maybe he was wondering why he was explaining about angels all of a sudden). "Angels usually have light coloured hair. They have this unique type of power, which can relieve you of all your worries. It will turn all your depressed thoughts into happier and hopeful ones, like a ray of light in a dark room or something. That's one of the reasons why we hate angels so much, because we feed off negative feelings. There are possibilities that the person may have been an angel."

"Oh? That's what I wanted to know," Annabeth muttered and shot him a wary look. "Can you get off?"

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Annabeth bit her lip. _It's now or never, Chase!_ "I-I wanted to show you something."

"You could show it to me right now."

"I bet it will be more comfortable if you just get off of me."

Percy gave her a blank stare as he reluctantly sat up, and Annabeth immediately grabbed the opportunity to sit cross-legged on the floor. _Alright Chase! Let it begin!_ She motioned at him to scoot closer. "Come closer."

He blinked at her. "I thought you wanted me to stay back?"

Annabeth groaned. "Just come closer, will you? No, no! Stop right there! Don't move!" she cried out when he advanced a bit too close to her. He gave her an amused look. _Damn it, demon! Don't make this more difficult than this already is!_ Taking a deep breath, she inched nearer to him (despite the fact that she had told _him_ not to invade her personal space). "You didn't visit me last night," she whispered to him, placing a hand on his chest.

He didn't break her stare as smirked. "Why? Did you miss me?"

"I did," she said. She could tell that he was somewhat shocked with her unusual response. Annabeth started to trace circles with her thumb on the exposed skin of his neck. "I was lonely, you know," she tried her best to sound heartbroken. She ran her finger over his lips. "That wasn't very nice of you."

Percy was very tense underneath her. She could tell that he was holding back his desire judging from the way he had clenched his hands into fists, and how his eyes had darkened even more. He watched her every move with cautious eyes, just like a predator.

Annabeth pressed her body against him, and his arms encircled her waist. "Were you with someone else last night?" she grabbed the collar of his shirt. "Some girl other than me?"

To her surprise, he looked conflicted. "Look, Annabeth! I promise I didn't-"

Annabeth hadn't expected that sort of reaction. But these were supernaturals, and with them, one must expect the unexpected. "Shh," she kissed his chin. "All that matters is that you're with me right now…" The look on his eyes was so feral that Annabeth was sure he would rip off her clothes in a few minutes. _Now!_ She thought. _Now is the perfect time!_ "Close your eyes," she said softly, doing the same. "And lean down."

His eyes fluttered shut as a light growl escaped his throat. But before he could kiss her, Annabeth immediately snatched the locket out of her pocket and put her arms around his neck just as his lips touched hers, with the knot being made by itself at the back of his neck.

Percy's eyes snapped open instantly. "What the-?" He stumbled backwards slightly before gazing down at the agate rose dangling from his neck. He snarled viciously as he tried to tug it off, but in turn, the locket simply burned his skin. He gave Annabeth a glare that would've turned her into ashes, if it could have. "You!"

"It actually worked!" Annabeth gawked. "Now, I just have to test it out! Percy, get off of me." And with a poker face, Percy did exactly that. Annabeth eyed him. "Slap yourself," she said amusedly as the demon raised his hand and slapped his cheek.

Percy kept glaring at her after that. And Annabeth couldn't really blame him. She thought that she had probably broken all the trust he had for her. But what else could she have done? If Percy matures even slightly and pays respect to her wishes, then she would willingly take off that locket and burn it in her garden.

"I want answers," Annabeth told him.

He simply narrowed his eyes as he sulked silently.

 _My, my! He doesn't have a big range of facial expressions, does he?_ Annabeth mused. "How is it possible for a demon to have a human mate?"

The demon shrugged. "It is possible. But such cases are rare to see. My mother's parents were like that, one was a demon and the other was human."

"Won't the human mate die before the demon one?"

"No."

"No? How so?"

"I won't tell."

"Tell me. That's an order."

Percy rolled his eyes. "For that, you have to perform another ritual. That will bind my life force to yours, and neither of us will die until the other gets killed."

"How romantic," Annabeth muttered. "Where were you last night?"

"Busy dealing with other demons."

"Female demons?"

"…"

"Ah, never mind," Annabeth rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "Thanks for answering, I guess."

"Now _you_ tell _me_ ," Percy said. "Were all the things you did right now, before putting this freaking thing on me, just a mere act?"

Annabeth kissed his cheek in reply.

-o-o-o-

 **Short chapter, and not much happens.. Actually, this chapter was supposed to be longer, and Drew would've appeared in this one.. But it became toooooooo long, so, I had to cut it short. Drew will appear in the next chapter.. And chaos will follow..**

 **Please R &R!**

 **Kudos~**!


	6. I Try To Kill Myself

**IMPORTANT! IMPORTANT! MAKE SURE YOU READ THE A/N AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER!**

 **Not gonna beat around the bush. New chappie. Yay. *falls asleep***

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.. *yawns***

 **Ch 6: I Try To Kill Myself:**

Drew gritted her teeth as the dizzying stench of jasmine hit her nose. It was enough to send her reeling for a few seconds. _I don't get what Perseus sees in that mortal._ She clenched her hands into fists. So this was _her_ house. She had stalked the male demon by possessing a dove's body. It had been real fun killing it after her work had been done.

Now here she was, back in front of the _stupid bitch's_ house at twilight. She could still feel Percy's presence lingering around her house, despite the fact that he had gone long ago. Drew wanted to snarl and tear the girl's limbs apart. But no, that would cause her death too soon.

She paused for some time before a smirk made its way onto her face. _Well, well. Get ready mortal. Your death is going to be very unpleasant._ She willed her body to turn into mist. Soon. Soon enough the mortal will be lying dead on the ground. And she will make it seem as though the girl had killed herself.

Drew smiled. _Then Percy will be mine,_ she thought with a giggle.

-o-o-o-

Annabeth took a deep breath through her mouth as she flopped onto her comfy bed, and heaved a sigh. _I've been sighing a lot lately,_ she cringed. But right then, she was doing it out of exasperation, taking into consideration the fact that she and Percy had had a massive, childish argument, which had only ended after she had ordered him to go back. Well, he would be back again at midnight. Perhaps.

Annabeth laid down on the mattress, wondering _if_ he would return. Maybe the argument had made him angry? Probably not. Besides, she couldn't really blame him for beginning their squabble. Because all this wouldn't have happened if she hadn't… Well, if she hadn't kissed his cheek.

She closed her eyes as she remembered their random bicker.

-o-o-o-

 _"_ _You kissed me," Percy blinked at her._

 _"_ _I just kissed your cheek," Annabeth blinked back._

 _"_ _A kiss is a kiss."_

 _"_ _Fine, I kissed you. On the cheek. So what?"_

 _"_ _So you love me?"_

 _"_ _Don't be silly," Annabeth gave him a look. "You can't love someone you just met."_

 _"_ _Well then, will you take this horrid thing off of me?" he changed the topic._

 _"_ _Let me think," Annabeth dramatically tapped her chin with her finger, as if she was actually considering it. "Nope! You need to learn to behave first! At least this way, I would be able to exercise some control over you!"_

 _"_ _Exercise control over me," Percy repeated. "Well, well. Who would've thought that my mate has such naughty thoughts about me, hmm?"_

 _Wait, what? Annabeth thought with a blank face before suddenly wanting to throw different pieces of furniture at him. Nah, her precious furniture would end up disfigured. "Shut up, you pervert! I wasn't thinking of anything like that at all! You're the one with the dirty mind here!"_

 _"_ _No need to worry Annabeth," he drawled. "You will find yourself with me in bed soon enough," he purred. "And there, you would be perfectly able to-"_

 _Annabeth didn't let him finish. "Slap yourself!" she shouted, feeling somewhat contended when the locket forced Percy to do what she said, who immediately started swearing profusely. "How do you know my name anyway? Demon powers?"_

 _Percy shrugged. "Duh."_

 _"_ _Demons say 'duh'?"_

 _"_ _Demons say many things."_

 _Annabeth shuddered. "I'm not sure I want to know more." She bit her lip._

 _"_ _What you're doing right now is hugely distracting," Percy said._

 _Annabeth didn't bother to reply to his suggestive tone. "Uh, I wanted to tell you something…"_

 _"_ _You always want to tell me something. Shoot."_

 _"_ _Is it okay if I go out with a friend this Saturday?" When she noticed him giving her a weird look, she added weakly, "Er, with a boy." His face darkened and before he could threaten the said boy's life or something, Annabeth immediately interjected. "He's just a friend. He said so himself! So you don't need to go all possessive and jealous and stuff!" She paused. "Wait, why am I even asking for your permission? It's my life. I can live it in whichever way I want."_

 _"_ _You, woman, are crazy."_

 _"_ _Fine! I'm crazy! I just wanted you to know. That's it," she huffed, mentally cringing at how wrong that sounded._

 _"_ _Alright."_

 _"_ _Alright?" Annabeth gaped at him, surprised at the nonchalant behaviour he was showing. She had expected him to put up another argument, but nothing of the sort happened. "You're agreeing so easily?"_

 _"_ _It's not like I can do much about it, can I? If I do protest, we will end up arguing again. And I don't want that to happen. Besides, with this thing on me, I can't even think about tying you to the bed so that you don't escape. Not if it's against your will," Percy shook his head. "So protesting will just end up being a waste of time."_

 _Annabeth laughed lightly. "I am supposed to be the smart one here, demon."_

 _"_ _Please, human," he smirked. "I am a lot smarter than you'll ever be. So many years of living can teach you a lot of things," he put a slight emphasis on the last word._

 _Annabeth eyed him suspiciously, not sure whether what he said had a double meaning or not. But judging that it was coming from a demon, she concluded that it did. She suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. "How old are you," she asked. "You're not, like, a few millennia old, are you?"_

 _Percy burst out laughing, leaving Annabeth to stare at him in a stunned silence. (Mostly because there was absolutely nothing funny about what she had just said.)_ He has a nice laugh, _she_ _thought distractedly._ Hey wait! Why the heck did I think that?!

 _"_ _I'm not that old," he said after he was finished with his round of sniggers. "A few centuries at the most."_

 _Annabeth blanched. "Centuries?" she noted weakly. "I'm only seventeen. And my mate is an old man. A very old man."_

 _"_ _Well tell me Annabeth, how old do I look to you?" he rolled his eyes._

 _"_ _Thirty-five?" she replied with a straight face, not wanting to reveal the fact that she was merely joking._

 _"_ _Nope, guess again."_

 _"_ _Over nine thousand?"_

 _He gave her an exasperated look. "Demons age slowly. Very, very slowly. So, I'm probably rounding twenty by now. However, if you go along with human years, then yeah. I'm a few centuries at the most."_

 _"_ _Pedophile," Annabeth muttered._

 _"_ _I'm astounded at the originality of your statement," Percy said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Bravo."_

 _"_ _Do you have a sarcasm fetish or something?"_

 _"_ _That would be the biggest understatement of the century," he chuckled._

 _"_ _You have a nice laugh," Annabeth blurted out without thinking. And then she wanted to bang her head against the near wall till she died out of blood loss, or a damaged brain, or anything as long as it killed her._

 _"_ _I know," Percy said without even batting an eyelash. Annabeth didn't think it was necessary for demons to blink so that they could moisten their eyes. "It's very handy in important situations. Like, you know, getting girls in bed, who claim that my enthralling voice makes their legs turn to jelly."_

 _"_ _Wha…?" Annabeth's jaw dropped open, and she probably looked like some sort of ninja fish in the middle of a sneeze right then. It sure seemed as though Percy had recovered from the initial shock of her tricking him. She closed her mouth before mosquitoes could take the chance to rush in. "Were you always this perverted from the beginning?"_

 _"_ _What are you talking about?" he asked innocently. "I just said that I could get them in bed. I never said that I would be doing certain things to them." He shook his head. "You're so dirty-minded, Annabeth. Not that I mind."_

 _"_ _Eeh?!" Annabeth's eyes could've very well popped out of their sockets. "Don't bring me into this! I am the innocent one here!"_

 _"_ _Hmm, are you now, mate?"_

 _"_ _Why you-you-"_

 _"_ _Demon?" he suggested, with a mischievous glint in his eyes._

 _"_ _Why did I even compliment you in the first place? You jerk," Annabeth groaned._

 _"_ _Lemme guess. Female hormones?"_

 _"_ _Shut up," the blonde girl hissed at him as she resisted the urge to smack his head with her hand, afraid that it would break her bone or something. She most certainly didn't want to land up with a broken wrist._

 _"_ _So tell me," Percy said, his voice turning serious. "Why did you tell me about that date anyway? You claim that it was not to make me jealous. Then why?"_

 _"_ _First of all, it's not a date," Annabeth mumbled. "And, well, I told you because… I…"_

 _"_ _What?"_

 _"_ _I don't want to break your trust in me, okay?" She didn't face him, but she could feel her voice quivering. Annabeth wondered if Percy could hear it. "It's – it's not something that I like to do. Besides, you would've found sooner or later that I would've gone out with Lu- I mean, my friend. And, well, I guess that wouldn't have felt right. I mean, you get it, right?" Annabeth had never felt tongue-tied before. But unpleasant memories of her childhood kept flashing before her eyes. She pursed her lips as she looked down._

 _"_ _Hey, are you alright?" Percy asked softly, realising that he shouldn't have forced her to answer him. Annabeth merely gave him a nod, still not meeting his eyes. "So… You want me to trust you," he tried to lighten the tension in the room. "That means you must love me."_

 _The effect was instantaneous. Annabeth frowned at him. "I told you. I don't."_

 _"_ _You do."_

 _"_ _I don't."_

 _"_ _Bet you do!"_

 _Annabeth made an irritated noise. "You're behaving like a child, Percy!"_

 _The demon winked. "Ah, but if I'm a child, then that makes_ you _the pedophile. Also, I love it when you say my name."_

 _Annabeth could feel her eye start twitching. "Shut up." In the blink of an eye, Percy had wrapped his arms around her and she was sitting in his lap, straddling him._

 _"_ _Make me," he said cheekily._

 _"_ _Slap yourself."_

-o-o-o-

Annabeth felt a smile creep onto her face, but it vanished as soon as it had appeared. The conversation, though ridiculous to an unhealthy extent, had reminded her of her past. Quite the dreadful memories, to be exact.

 _'_ _Why did you do this to me, Annabeth? I trusted you, and you're choosing him over me?'_

Annabeth stood up and tried to think about something else. Anything but that. She knew that Percy knew something was wrong with her. But he didn't inquire anything. Part of her was glad.

 _'_ _I'm never going to forgive you, Annabeth. I detest you. From the core of my heart. What had I ever done to deserve this?'_

"Stop it," Annabeth muttered weakly to nobody in particular. She clutched her head and groaned slightly. It seemed that she wasn't going to get any sleep that night. If she did, the nightmares would probably eat her alive.

 _'_ _I hate you!'_

Annabeth shuddered, and she heard the doorbell ring. She stood there, confused for a moment (partly wondering whether the doorbell had actually rung, or it had been a figment of her imagination a.k.a background music for her nightmares). Who could've visited her at this hour? Her brain replied right away, _Your dim-witted friends._

Annabeth rushed downstairs, wondering if Thalia had come to stay over, because she did that frequently. She opened the door with a smile but quickly frowned when she saw nobody present outside. She glanced left and right, thinking that someone will pop out and shout 'Boo!' But she failed to find anybody. Maybe the neighbourhood kids were pulling a prank on her.

The blonde shook her head as she shifted to close the door, but froze when her body temperature seemed to drop suddenly. Annabeth let out a startled gasp as she looked at her shaking hands. _What? What is this?_ she thought wildly. She cried out when her knees buckled and her legs gave in, making her tumble ungraciously onto the floor, her joints suddenly writhing with pain.

 ** _Wretched girl,_** a voice echoed.

Annabeth felt her eyes widened as she turned her head around unceremoniously, searching for the source of the voice. She opened her mouth but no words came out.

 ** _You poor soul, having such a terrible past,_** the voice chuckled. It was raspy, but Annabeth could figure out that the speaker was a female. **_Nobody loves you, isn't that right? How could they, after you have done such horrible things?_**

Annabeth winced as booming laughter echoed inside her head. As if on cue, the light bulbs started to flicker, before drowning the entire room in darkness.

 ** _I hate you, you know. Everybody hates you. They don't show it, but they all hate you. Even that mate of yours!_** There was laughter once again. **_What did you think? He would actually fall for you? Let me tell you, all this is a game to him! He just wants to satisfy his desire, and once he has done that, he will just get rid of you!_**

There was silence for a while. But that ended when Annabeth felt someone choking her.

 ** _But I won't let him do that! I will end you myself before he even makes his first move. Oh, and do you know what would be even better?_** There was a giggle. **_The fact that you are going to kill yourself._**

Annabeth wanted to cry out but it felt as if her voice box had stopped working. She felt an invisible force possessing her hands, as they moved on their own. Annabeth had never felt so useless before. And all she could do was stare in horror as her hands encircled her throat. And she could do nothing to stop them.

 ** _This! This is what Perseus did to me! Why? All because of you, of course! But guess what? You don't deserve him! He should have throttled you instead of me!_** The voice screamed. Annabeth let out a silent gasp as her hands tightened around her neck on their own accord. **_Bye, bye, little bitch. I hope that hell gives you the worst treatment you'll ever deserve!_**

Annabeth could hardly breathe anymore as she started to choke herself. Dark spots appeared in her vision. Her limbs burned as if they were on fire. That was it. Annabeth was going to die. She could feel her body starting to grow weaker and weaker, but her hands were still pressed firmly around her neck, her nails leaving scratches in the skin.

And then, a shout. _Percy?_ Annabeth thought immediately. But no, it was a girl. A familiar girl. Reyna… What was she doing here?

She shouted something in a language which Annabeth thought was Latin. And Annabeth started to shiver as her body temperature turned cold once again. Then, it felt as if her heart was getting a major electric shock.

She could make out the figure of Reyna giving her a concerned look, through her blurry vision. That was the last thing she saw before her body went limp and the world faded around her.

-o-o-o-

 **Now, many of you will be angry with me right now, thinking why the hell I made Annabeth so weak. So let me makes thing clear. Annabeth is a human! A normal human! She is strong, but not that strong to hold her stand against a high-rank demon. Besides, Drew possessed her, and that wasn't really fair. But that's how demons are!**

 **Annabeth will get stronger as the story progresses. It's a thing called 'character development'. If I had made Annabeth defeat Drew in this chapter, the character development would've been ZERO, and the plot would've zig-zagged its way into a black hole.**

 **She doesn't know much about demons. Not like you guys, who were shouting the entire time: "STAHAAAHHHAAP GAAAL! DON'T OPEN THE F-ING DOOR! NUUUHUHHH!'**

 **Okay? Do I make myself clear? You understand now? BTW, Annabeth does kick Drew's butt later on, so don't worry. I keep my promises. And if you still have got problem with that, stop reading this story.**

 **Cookies to those who survived my rant.**

 **Kudos!**


	7. I Lose Someone Valuable

**Heyo... *takes a deep breath* Here goes..**

 **I'm so sorry for not updating last week. Like, very very sorry! But what can I say? Being a procrastinator is one of my bad habits! Belive or not, i sat down to write about fifty times, but everytime I did, this happened:**

 **"Write, write, write... Hmm, what time is it now? Should I spent some time with my phone? Hmm, just for a few minutes... No! Bad Kani, you should focus on writing.. Write, write.. Hey, don't I have homework do? Isn't that essay due tomorrow? Oh shit, I'm so screwed. *after 3 hours* Okay Kani, you go girl! Now you can concentrate on writing.. Write, write, write... Hey... I'm hungry!"**

 **But late update is better than no update! :)**

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 **And here we go, folks! On with the chappie! This is the longest one I have ever written!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians! Like, how many times am I gonna say this thing? It's annoying.. -_-**

 **Ch 7: I Lose Someone Valuable:**

The first thing Annabeth registered upon regaining her consciousness was the unbearable throbbing in her head. It felt as if someone had chopped her head into two, filled it with some concentrated acid, and rejoined it with some weird adhesive. She tried to open her eyelids but her strength failed her.

Annabeth freaked out internally about how numb her body felt. What had happened to her? Her memories were blurry and hazy, and were as good as no memories at all. However, concentrating on them too much made caused her headache to worsen. So she gave up on trying to remember them.

Was she in a coma? Had she been in some accident? Another horrifying thought struck her head. Was she dead? Is that why she felt so awful? She didn't want to die. Not so soon. But then again, maybe it was better for her to stay this way, away and finally free from all her problems.

Annabeth suddenly felt a tingling sensation on her left palm. She tried to twitch her fingers but to no avail. In fact, warmth started spreading through her body. What had happened? Annabeth had no idea as she embraced the calming sensation. Seemed like she wasn't dead after all, as she could feel her heart still beating.

She tried to open her eyes once again, but could only lift her eyelashes by a mere centimetre, until the bright light caused her to shut them quickly before she could get temporarily blinded by them. The pounding in her head had reduced to a light ache. Though for some reason, her throat burned very badly, as if lava was bubbling through it.

Seriously, what the heck had happened to her? Why couldn't she remember anything? She faintly heard someone whisper her name. A familiar voice. Using the last of her willpower, she forced her eyes to slowly open, and remain open.

The first thing she saw was the baby-blue ceiling of her room. Not bad.

"She's awake!"

Annabeth didn't need to turn her head to figure out that the speaker was Reyna. _Reyna…_ And with that, memories immediately flooded into her head, and she found herself stifling a gasp. Her blood turned cold, as she realised what exactly had happened to her.

 _I was possessed,_ Annabeth thought horrified. _By a demon!_ And she had almost choked herself to death. An overwhelming sensation caused goose bumps to form on her skin. An emotion she hadn't felt over a long time: fear. Tremendous fear, as she kept thinking about what else a demon could do to her if he or she wanted to.

"You're too loud," said another voice. "Her ear drums will stop working at this rate." Percy leaned over her, so that his face was a few inches above hers, and held out a hand. "You okay?" he began, and then seemed to remember that she was most definitely _not_ okay, and he cleared his throat. "Think you can sit up?"

Annabeth nodded as she took his hand and sat up, yet she couldn't suppress the sour feeling that invaded her mind. It was because of the fact that she was Percy's soulmate that the demon had attacked her. Immediately, she gave herself a mental slap. _What am I thinking?!_ It wasn't Percy's fault that he was a very attractive, devilishly handsome, male demon. No wonder the females out there were jealous of her. Screw fate.

She looked at Reyna, who was standing on the opposite side of her bed with her arms crossed, sporting a scowl indicating that Percy's earlier comment had ticked her off. She wore a purple shirt that had some random alphabets on it. "Thank you," Annabeth croaked out to her, wincing out how pitiful she sounded. Her larynx hurt with every syllable she uttered.

Thankfully Reyna seemed to understand what she meant to say. "You're welcome," she huffed. "But do you know how lucky you were that I was passing by? What do you think would have happened if I hadn't intervened? You would have freaking died!"

Percy emitted a light growl and Annabeth focussed her attention on him, "Where were you last night?" she whispered, wondering if she should feel betrayed or not, but tried her best to keep her tone calm and curious. _Busy again with 'female demons'?_ she thought bitterly, but quickly disposed of it.

Percy looked at her guiltily. "I was busy with some important work. I didn't even notice what was wrong until I felt your pain through the bond we share." He brushed his lips against her forehead. "I am very sorry for not being able to stay by your side."

 _And you think sorry cuts it?_ She wanted to scream, but soon realised that she was being insufferable. Sure, he was late, but in the end, he had come to her, instead of leaving her all alone. Annabeth thought back to what the demon had whispered in her head, claiming that Percy was merely using her. Was he, really? Annabeth mentally slapped herself once again. She should know better than to succumb to whatever nonsense that demon had spouted. But then again… _No,_ she thought firmly. _Stop._

"He was really worried about you, y'know?" Reyna broke the silence, shooting Percy a sour look. "He even attacked me, thinking that I was the enemy. "

"Well let's see," Percy replied in a monotone accompanied with a withering glare. "Annabeth was unconscious, you were kneeling beside her, and your hand was touching her neck. I had every right to attack you?"

"What the heck, you dumbass? This is why I hate alpha demons! They don't even think before they act! I was merely helping Annabeth out. And then out of nowhere, this guy appears and charges at me while roaring like a wild animal cornering its prey. And what else?! You didn't even apologise to me afterwards!"

"I have no reason to apologise to you."

"No reas-"

"I was possessed, wasn't I?" Ananbeth whispered.

The other two people in her room immediately snapped their heads in her direction.

"This clearly shows how weak I am," Annabeth continued, laughing humourlessly. "I can't even guard myself properly. What a disgrace."

"You're not weak Annabeth," Percy touched her cheek. For a moment, Annabeth felt sparks flow from his touch, but then concluded that her dizzy mind was just playing with her. "Drew possessed your body instead of doing direct combat. That wasn't playing fair."

Annabeth's eyes widened, and so did Reyna's. "Who?"

Percy immediately looked like a deer caught in headlight. "Drew Tanaka. She's the demon who's… responsible for all this. I can smell her scent on you."

Annabeth narrowed her eyes. "You know _her?_ "

"…"

"But hey," Reyna pinched her nose. "If you knew the culprit, why didn't you simply chase after her?" she looked at him accusingly.

"My mate's safety is more important to me. I can deal with that wench later," Percy glared back.

"Annabeth was very safe with me, thank you very much," the dark-haired girl scoffed. "You didn't have to worry so much."

"I don't trust you at all, mortal," Percy added with a snarl.

Reyna's nostrils flared. "I wonder why, demon. Maybe because you-"

"Where's the locket?" Annabeth cut through their blabber, keeping her eyes set on the male's neck. The agate rose was not there. She looked at up Percy questioningly.

Percy had the audacity to smirk at her. "Well, I forgot to tell you. That locket of yours was very weak indeed. Right after I used a bit of some extra power, it merely burned to ashes. I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to control me any longer."

"Slap yourself."

 _Smack!_

"Dammit!" Percy rubbed his cheek, while Reyna burst out laughing, clutching her eyes and clapping her hands afterwards. Annabeth could feel the corner of her lips moving upwards slightly.

"Where is it?" she asked again.

"Still here," Percy mumbled. "I just put an invisibility spell on it, so that the others wouldn't notice it."

"Why?" Reyna drawled mockingly. "Afraid that they will tease you?"

She got a charming scowl in return.

She sent a wide, innocent smile at him.

His eyes flashed dangerously as he opened his mouth to probably utter an insult.

Reyna stood straighter as she braced herself.

Annabeth grabbed the perfect opportunity to interrupt before another argument could break out. "What were you doing near my house Reyna? Surely it couldn't be a coincidence."

Reyna looked at her and chewed on the inside of her cheek. "And what makes you think it wasn't a coincidence?"

"Because I don't believe in them."

Reyna smiled. "Fair enough. I had some unfinished business to take care of in this area. I didn't know that this house at all. The moment I sensed a demon, I rushed here at once."

Annabeth nodded her head but froze when Percy snarled. "You're lying, human. I can sense it clearly."

Reyna narrowed her eyes. "I'm not."

"My demon senses are never wrong. What were you doing in front of my mate's house at such a convenient hour? Surely you couldn't have sensed the demon from far away? You're too inexperienced for that. Was this some sort of you plan of yours? I don't trust you at all, little mortal."

"Fine then, think whatever you want," Reyna rolled her eyes, but Annabeth caught the slight flinch on her face, as she dug her hand into her jeans pocket. She took out something which looked like a bracelet to Annabeth, and tossed it towards her.

Annabeth looked at the shining stones with awe. "What's this for?"

"Chrysoberyl," Reyna replied curtly. "It will prevent the demons from possessing you. I should have given this to you in the first place. How stupid of me! Oh, and you better remember those chants Hylla gave you. They will come real handy in the near future. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go home before my sister burns up the entire city while searching for me."

Annabeth stared at her retreating figure, and despite feeling thankful for the anti-possession bracelet, she couldn't help but feel the trust she had for the girl dip a bit lower and lower.

-o-o-o-

"Where the hell is she?!" Percy roared as he slammed the door open, his eyes flashing red with untameable anger.

Nico stared at him with slightly wide eyes ( _slightly,_ mind you). Under normal circumstances, Percy would have been very proud of himself for getting some other expression out of Nico excluding his usual Percy (taking into consideration the fact that Nico's facial expression almost never changed, even less than other demons). But right then he was too angry for that.

"Where the hell is who?" Nico frowned at him, partly curious and partly irritated at his sudden interruption of his leisure hours.

"Drew Tanaka! Where is she?!"

"The heck am I supposed to know?" Nico's frown deepened slightly. He had never seen his cousin so angry before. He had to calm Percy down before he lost all control and tore up his room like a brutish beast. Nico would've been fine with that, if the aforementioned room hadn't been his… His father would eat his head if the house got destructed. "Seriously, what's got you so pissed?"

Percy snarled savagely, baring his fangs at him.

Nico resisted the urge to groan. _Bad move. Terminate, terminate._ If all Percy wanted to do was to throw a tantrum, he could get out of his house for all he cared. Nico was in no mood to deal with his useless tactics. "Listen, if you want to meet Drew so badly, then shouldn't you be searching for her right now instead of wasting your time with me? I don't know where she is right now, but she is most definitely not here. Also, I have no interest in helping you unless you mature slightly and tell me what's wrong. And stop behaving like a bloody hot-headed fool who has lost his princess."

That seemed to struck a chord somewhere inside the older demon.

Well, straightforward bluntness for the win.

His shoulders slumped slightly – again, _slightly_. "I tried to search for her, but it's of no use. Her scent disappeared halfway through the path. Stupid wench, she must've used magic to veil her presence," he grit out.

"Why are you even searching for her?" Nico raised an eyebrow. "For _that_ reason?"

Percy's glare would've turned him to ashes if it could've.

He let out a grave laugh. "I am going to kill her."

"Why? Did she reject you or something?"

Nico got another glare in return.

Percy turned his head away. "Something worse." When he turned to look at Nico, his eyes were no longer red, but back to their normal shade of sea-green. "I want you to help me find her."

The younger demon crossed his arms. "As I said before, I have no intention of helping you unless you tell me what's wrong."

Percy paused for a good few seconds. "Fine," he let out a breath. "Fine, I'll tell you. Only my mother knows about this. And I swear Nico, if you even speak of a word about this to someone else, I'll pulverise you in the most torturous way ever possible."

-o-o-o-

It wasn't long before the weekend rolled by. Yet, somehow, the week seemed longer than ever, mostly because Percy was keeping her under surveillance twenty-four/seven, making sure that Annabeth wouldn't get into trouble with some other demon. It was embarrassing and unnerving at the same time.

She tried to convince him that she would be fine, having no fear of possession with her chrysoberyl bracelet. (It was the real thing. Percy had experimented it.) She had even memorised quite a few of the incantations Hylla had given her. Annabeth though that it would've given Percy some assurance. But no. Her mate didn't listen to her at all.

Also, she didn't need to worry about the choke marks around her neck. Percy had healed them with his magic. But her friends had commented that Annabeth was quieter than ever. Partly because her throat still hurt slightly, and partly because she wasn't in the mood.

"Maybe your date with Luke will make you feel better," Piper had said.

Annabeth hadn't bothered to correct her that it wasn't a date, and had wondered what Percy would've done if he had heard that statement.

However, after _The Incident_ , she had noticed that Percy hardly talked to her anymore. He didn't even tease her or make any sort of perverted comments. He would just sit quietly watching Annabeth as she did her chores or her homework or anything! Annabeth wondered, _Is he feeling guilty?_ That wouldn't be surprising. His silence was starting to make her feel uncomfortable and awkward.

On Saturday, Annabeth didn't see him at all. Perhaps he didn't want to meet her, considering that she was going out with another boy. Annabeth bit her lip as she stared at her reflection in the mirror, suddenly feeling guilt invade her. But Luke was just a friend. Even though she harboured a crush on him, it wasn't like he returned her feelings. She should just give up on the prospect of liking him.

 _And then what?_ she mused. _Shift your crush onto Percy?_

She tied her hair into a ponytail and let her hands fall awkwardly to her sides. She had donned a purple jacket and had kept the incantations in the inside pocket. Also, Reyna had forced her to carry her dagger with her. For now, it was hidden safely, but if Luke found out… Annabeth shuddered to think what would follow.

The doorbell sounded and Annabeth brushed off the imaginary dust from her jeans. Making sure that her smile didn't seem shaky, she skipped to the front door while giving herself a mental pat on the back.

Luke was dressed in casual wear, just like her, nothing fancy or anything. It was just a normal movie outing with a friend. "Good evening," he offered her a wide smile.

"Evening," she muttered back, cursing herself for the fact that his charm still affected her. _Honestly Annabeth,_ she chided. _You're the worst._

"You look good."

Annabeth was tempted to blurt out the fact that she was carrying a dagger with her, but managed to resist. She simply opted to hum in return.

"So, ready to go?" he asked, seeming unperturbed at her silence.

Annabeth nodded as he opened the car door for her. She sat down and smoothed her jacket carefully while Luke slid into the driver's seat. She shot him a curious look. "What movie are we watching?" she asked as he started the car.

He looked at her sheepishly. "Actually, there has been a slight change of plans."

Annabeth felt her blood run cold. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Don't tell me we are going to a restaurant or something. I am not even appropriately dressed!"

Luke laughed softly as he shook his head. "No, nothing of that sort. There's just this awesome place I want to show you," he added with a smile. He glanced at her wrist. "That bracelet suits you."

Annabeth sneaked a peek at the greenish-yellow chrysoberyl gemstones and resisted the urge to snort in amusement. _If only he knew._ She smiled back at him. "Thank you," she played with a strand of her hair as she subconsciously wondered where the heck they were going.

They mostly rode in silence while speaking a word or two in between to cut out the awkwardness. Annabeth could feel her thoughts wandering from one topic from another. She wondered if Percy would show up at night after she had returned. It was weird for him not to worry over her and keep an eye over her. But then again, who was she to judge his antics?

The car jolted to a halt and Annabeth jumped startled with a gasp as her eyes darted left and right to analyse her surroundings. The number of trees surrounding them astonished her. She could have said many things, ranging from: 'It's so beautiful' to 'I should have wore hiking boots' to 'Where the heck is this creepy place?' But noooooooo!

She stupidly blurted out, "Are you trying to imitate a scene from Twilight?"

Luke laughed hard, doubling over with mirth. Annabeth was sure that wasn't even funny. "Sorry, but nothing of that sort," he said, his voice laced with amusement. "This is a place where I often come to stargaze. I thought you may like it."

Annabeth pursed her lips before she smiled at him. "Yes. Stargazing." She vaguely remembered how she used to stargaze with her parents when she was a kid. Until… No, no. She shouldn't think of depressing thoughts. Annabeth stepped out of the car, the chilly breeze hitting her face, making her hair flap about ungracefully. Luke got out after her and locked the car. He pointed his hand at what looked like nowhere to her. "It's a mere two minute walk from here. C'mon."

He didn't make an attempt to hold her hand, for which Annabeth felt glad. She wouldn't have known what to do if he had done that. And there would've been chances of him feeling the dagger inside her pocket if he got too close to her. As they continued walking, twigs twisting and making crunching sounds underneath their feet, Annabeth wondered why Luke had suddenly changed his plans about going to the movies. She could feel herself frown as one of her hands slid into the inside pocket of her jacket, clutching the handle of the dagger tightly.

Something was wrong. She could feel it.

But what was it?

Annabeth shook her head, dismissing such thoughts, but making note to stay alert at all instances.

"We're here," Luke whispered, snapping her out of her reverie. Annabeth looked at the little hut in front of them. It wasn't in much of a good condition, but it was situated in the middle of a clearing, and provided a perfect view of the sky. "It's one of my favourite hobbies. I usually lie down on the grass and watch the stars, but if there's rain, I take shelter inside that cabin." Annabeth had a feeling he was referring to the hut. "There's a telescope inside, though it's old. It belonged to my father, and he was the one who introduced me to my hobby."

"I see," Annabeth muttered, and she really did see. She gazed up at the cloudless night filled with stars twinkling down at them. She involuntarily closed her eyes. "It's very soothing."

"Soothing indeed."

There was something in the way how Luke's voice sounded that made her frown and snap her eyes open. She turned her gaze to look at her friend, who was entering the 'cabin' and beckoning her to follow.

Annabeth's hand crept into her pocket for the second time. Something was really, really wrong. Maybe it was just the creepy place giving her the jitters. But… it couldn't be, could it? She kept reciting the chants inside her head, making sure she remembered them correctly, just in case a certain someone decided to pop up, and she followed Luke into the hut.

-o-o-o-

The telescope was to die for.

It was so shiny and well-polished, as compared to the rest of the inside of the 'cabin', that it somehow made Annabeth swoon in delight, something she didn't know she was capable of. It sure seemed as if Luke had spent a lot of time in keeping it neat. Shame he didn't do that with the rest of the hut.

The said person was currently adjusting the lens of the optical instrument, while Annabeth stood a few steps behind him and watched his moves tentatively, her shoulder muscles tense and her eyes alert. "I never knew that you like to stargaze."

Luke nodded. "That's because I never told you, or anyone, about it."

"You should have. It's nice."

"Y'know, if you like it, then the two of us can come here some other time as well," he paused abruptly, probably wondering if he had said the right thing or not.

Annabeth opened her mouth to reply, but Luke spoke up once again, with a raspy and clearly feminine sounding voice this time. "But there won't be a next time, considering that you would be long gone by then."

Annabeth felt her eyes widen in a split second. She so freaking knew it! "I pledge in the name of the Godde-" But before she could complete the incantation, a burst of energy threw her against the wall. It happened so suddenly, that she didn't even have the time to cry out in pain.

Luke walked towards her slowly, his eyes an unbelievably bright red. He – or perhaps she – snarled at her and glared at her wrist. "Seems like you have got a few stones now to protect you. How pathetic!"

"Drew Tanaka," Annabeth wheezed as she tried to ignore the pain in her chest. She attempted to chant once again, but the bricks of the wall next to her suddenly blew up, and she had to scoot away quickly and shield herself to not get more hurt. Really, it was a miracle she wasn't bleeding.

"Stupid mortal," said Drew, who had Luke's body in possession. "That stupid blasphemy wouldn't harm a Higher Demon like me in any way as long as it's coming from an inexperienced person like you. I was merely caught off guard the previous time."

"You shouldn't underestimate you opponents so much, demon. Who knows? Perhaps I can stab you with a spear in the next few seconds."

Drew laughed, and it felt terrifying to hear such a sound emanating from Luke. "It's so funny when you're trying to threaten me. Well darling, don't try to sound so strong. Believe me, I could have killed you easily many moments ago, but you deserve a slow death, while I enjoy the fantastic view."

"Fuck you."

Luke/Drew raised an eyebrow. "Well, well. Looks like you don't have much care about your life. But what will you do if something happens to this precious lad of yours, hmm?" He/she ran a finger down his/her face. It gave Annabeth the eerie shivers.

"Keep Luke out of this," she tried to glare through her pain. "He has done nothing!"

"And why do you care so much?" Drew smirked. "Why is this human in the midst of your affections, while you still have a mate out there?" Annabeth winced guiltily, which unfortunately didn't go unnoticed. "I wonder how Perseus would feel when he hears that his beloved soul mate is cheating on him."

"I am not cheating!" Annabeth shouted, unable to contain her rage, but burst into a fit of coughs right after.

"Troublesome," Drew laughed once again. "It is final then. I will kill this person."

"Shut up you mo-" But Annabeth was thrown against the wall once again, more painfully this time. She winced as she touched her head carefully. She had a full-blown concussion. Great! She was so happy!

That was sarcasm.

As she tried to stand up, leaning against the wall, she turned her head to glare at Drew, but screamed at the sight in front of her.

What the hell was that demoness doing?!

She watched horrified as blood poured out from Luke's chest and his eyes. In front of her eyes, his skin started to rot at a terrifying pace. And within a few seconds, there was a booming sound, which made her close her eyes, unable to watch anymore. When she reopened them, there was a mere pile of ashes on the floor.

Luke…

He was dead…?

No, it was a joke. The demon couldn't have been serious, could she? Maybe this was just an illusion! Yes, an illusion!

 _Then why did it feel so real?_

Annabeth wanted to kneel onto the ground, break down and sob. Luke, her childhood friend! Her first crush! Her support in difficult situations! Dead? Because of a jealous demoness? And no fault of his? And the demoness was after her. So did that mean that she was the cause of his death?

Annabeth moved her hand to her mouth and screamed, a few tears escaping her eyes. _Why?! WHY?!_ She kept screaming as her grief started to mingle with rage. It was her fault! It was her fault straight from the beginning! And now?! She had the consequences right in front of her.

Behind her a voice whispered near her ear, "I told you, you little bi-"

That was enough to unleash the rage inside her. With an agonised yell, Annabeth immediately took the dagger out, whipped around and stabbed the person standing behind her in the heat of the moment.

As Annabeth stared through her teary eyes, she could see Drew looking shocked, her mouth open in a gape. "You- you-," the demoness breathed out as she looked at the dagger penetrating her skin.

"I told you not to underestimate you enemies," Annabeth's voice sounded dead and hollow, her breathing quick and short, her heart pounding and her head paining. She couldn't resist it. She couldn't resist the pain, the hate, the disgust, the loss, the revulsion flowing through her pains. With another scream, she yanked the dagger out as Drew fell onto the ground, her skin shimmering and starting to turn translucent.

Through her hate, Annabeth's mind screamed at her that this was too easy and Drew's death had been very quick. But she didn't care. She couldn't care. She dropped onto her knees as Drew's body disappeared, and started to sob uncontrollably, her grief taking control. She clutched her hair and let the bloodied dagger flop onto the floor with a clang. She couldn't breathe. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to breathe.

"Little bitch," a voice sing-songed.

Annabeth sucked in a sharp breath and looked around.

A black shadow loomed down at her. "I told you couldn't defeat a Higher Demon like me so easily. You killed my physical body, but you didn't pierce my heart. And thus my soul remains alive." Drew whispered as she moved towards her.

Annabeth squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't care. Let her die! It was better for her to die! She couldn't afford to remain alive with all that agony.

But then, what would Luke say? Would he want her to die? Would he want Annabeth Chase to give up?

 _Would he forgive her?_

But it didn't matter. She was helpless. She was inexperienced. She had no more energy. Drew was closing up on her, the shadow extending towards her feet. Annabeth cursed herself for opening her eyes, and shut them tightly, feeling all the energy drain out of her. _Percy,_ she thought with a broken sob escaping her lips for one last time. _I'm so, so sorry…_

-o-o-o-

 **Don't kill me for leaving you here! I can't update if I'm dead! Hehe, I'm such a blackmailer.. *blinks innocently***

 **So folks, whad'dya think of this? Hate for Drew is appreciated! Also, if you have any questions about this fic, feel free to ask them in the comments, or you can simply PM me.**

 **Thank you very much for your support! I love you all! Please review, favourite and follow! I'll see you in the next chapter!**

 **Until next time, Kani (a.k.a DazzlingRuby101)**


	8. I Am In Trouble

***peeks out from behind a door* Ah, uh, so, hello! Remember me? *laughs nervously* Please don't hate me for this late update! Please! I'm very sorry for the two months wait, and I know that I'm not in the position to give an excuse, but shit happens in life! And don't worry, I'm not giving up this story! Not at all!**

 **But geez, I got so many torture comments... I'm a wee bit scared.. XD And to those rooting for more Percabeth, just have a little bit of patience! More chemistry will develop soon!**

 **Thanks to all those who reviewed, followed and favourited! Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: Bla bla bla. I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Bla bla bla.**

 **Ch 8: I Am In Trouble:**

Annabeth waited for the demoness to strike at her. But not a blow arrived. Nothing at all. Nada. She partly wondered if Drew was merely toying with, scaring her shitless before actually killing her. That seemed quite Drew-like to her, even though she didn't know much about the demon.

 _Why?!_ She screamed mentally, not having the energy to use her voice. _Why can't you just kill me already, you monster?! Damn you! Damn all of you!_ Her tears had stopped, but her body had started trembling. She felt memories of her past flood into her mind. Was that how people felt when they died?

She remembered how her father had promised her that they would always be a happy family. She remembered how her brothers used to play with her in the backyard when all of them were small. She remembered how she had said that she wanted to become a successful architect.

 _What the hell Annabeth? Now's not the time to remember all this!_ She still wasn't dead. Just what was Drew planning? Maybe she was just waiting for Annabeth to open her eyes. Ha! As if she was about to do that. Who knew what she would see if she opened them? Or perhaps the demon would claw her eyes out.

"Hey? Are you okay?"

Annabeth let out a startled gasp as her eyes flew open against her will. Green eyes stared back at her, emotions swirling in them. Worry. Rage. And god knows what else. She let her eyes flicker past him. Drew wasn't there. The black shadow had vanished. Had Percy killed her? She turned her gaze back at him.

He seemed to wince under her gaze. Annabeth didn't know that demons winced. "Of course you're not okay. But there's no need to worry now. Drew's dead. You did a good job killing her physical body. I merely used my magic to vaporise her soul. But listen, are you-"

"Why…?"

Percy raised an eyebrow at her. "Why what?"

Annabeth took a deep, quivering breath. "Why didn't you come earlier?!" she screamed at him, then started to cough, her body shaking badly. Percy grabbed her shoulders. She tried to struggle against his hold but he didn't budge. "You said that a mate knows when its other half is in trouble, didn't you? Then why didn't you come to help me sooner?!"

"Annabeth, I-"

"And do you know what has happened?" This time, fresh tears poured out of her eyes. Annabeth didn't bother in trying to stop them. She was tired. She was hurt. She didn't even care anymore. "My best friend has died!" She grabbed his collar. "Why?! Why is it that everybody I have come to love always leave me in the end?" she grit her teeth.

She felt Percy's body stiffen. The muscles moved under his shirt as he hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Even I don't know why I didn't feel anything. I came the moment I heard your voice in my head." He buried his face in her shoulder. "I am so sorry."

How could _he_ not know why he didn't feel her emotions? Annabeth continued to cry in silence, until her body finally stopped trembling. After sniffling for a few more seconds, she muttered, "He's dead."

"I know."

"Drew killed him."

"I know."

"This is all my fault."

Percy grabbed her face with his hands. "It's not."

She didn't meet his eyes. She couldn't bring herself to do that. Images of Luke's death kept replaying in her brain. Annabeth hadn't even told him that she loved him. That he was her first love. And now, she would never be able to do that, even if she wanted.

Life was a bitch.

Annabeth turned her head and immediately wished she hadn't. On the ground, lay the bloodied dagger with which she had stabbed Drew, just a few inches away. She pursed her lips and bit back a sigh. She felt exhausted. "She's dead?"

"Yeah."

Annabeth still didn't face him. "How did you do that? Elaborate."

"You don't need to know," Percy replied.

Annabeth was about to snap at him crudely before she saw something slither on the ground. She blinked twice, making sure it wasn't an illusion. And it wasn't. A white snake was slithering towards them, its tongue lashing out every few seconds. Her body tensed. She was sure Percy felt it, but he made no comment.

 _Where did that come from?_ Annabeth thought wildly. Percy didn't seem to notice it. The snake merely inched closer and closer. At the last minute, Annabeth snatched the dagger off the ground and stabbed it, just as it had bared its fangs.

Percy jumped at her sudden movement, clearly having not expected that. His eyes narrowed at the snake, now dead and motionless, lying on the ground. "What?"

"That's what I wanted to ask," Annabeth muttered, her fingers clenched on the handle of the dagger. "I just saved your life." What would have he done if the snake had somehow bitten him?

"Poison has no effect on me. Well, at least this animal's poison has no effect on me." He didn't even bother looking at her. His gaze was fixed on the snake.

"Did you read my mind or something?" Annabeth demanded. Why was she even asking such unnecessary questions at a time like that? Simple. Her logic had cracked. Her neurons had gone haywire.

There was no response. Annabeth expected that much.

"Will you at least look at me?" she whispered. Well, she couldn't really blame him, considering the fact that she wasn't even facing him all this time.

Percy turned his head slowly. Green eyes on grey ones. Something darkened in his irises as he began to speak. "We're in trouble." He stopped and breathed through his nose. "Or more correctly, you're in great trouble."

"Me?" Annabeth wanted to laugh. When was she not in trouble these days? "What now? Don't tell me that another one of your exes had sent that snake to kill me." Her grip tightened on the dagger, trying to resist the urge to stab something. "Can't you just ask your girlfriends to stay away from me? I can't deal with them anymore."

A light growl emitted from the demon. She had irked him, but Annabeth could care less. "This, Annabeth, is much more serious than what you think." He shook his head lightly. "It's of no use," Percy muttered as held out his hand. "Come on."

Annabeth looked at his hand blankly. "Huh?"

"I'm gonna take you home."

"What?" she hissed. "I'm not falling for that act, Mister. You knew who sent that snake, didn't you? Then tell me! Why am I in trouble?" The demon didn't reply. "Damn it, why won't you tell me? What good will it be if you keep me in the dark?"

"Listen Annabeth," Percy said. "I'll tell you everything. But not now. Not tonight. It will be too much for you to take in."

Before she could argue that she would be able to process the information, Percy hugged her tightly. Her voice caught in her throat as he buried his head against her neck. Annabeth closed her eyes, feeling a few stray tears escape. _How much more am I going to cry?_ she thought ruefully. _Luke…_

She hugged him back, clutching the fabric of his shirt as if her life depended on it. He was right. She was drained. She would have stressed herself to unhealthy limits if she had found out the origins of the snake. About that… "Hey," she said softly.

"Hmm?" he asked.

"Someone else wants me dead, right?"

Percy stiffened and didn't reply.

Annabeth rested her face against his chest. "It's obvious," she mumbled. "Some other random demon wants to kill me. But why? It's probably because of the same reason as Drew, just out of pure jealousy. Or maybe," Annabeth felt her blood run cold. "Maybe someone close to Drew wants to avenge her death."

Percy let out a choked noise. "You're smart."

"Happy late realization."

Silence ensued. For some reason, Annabeth didn't want to let go of him. She knew that she was getting too comfortable, but somehow it didn't bother her. Also, his scent was quite soothing. "But how would they find out about her death so soon?"

"It's the family bond demons share. When a family member dies, the others will feel it immediately," Percy muttered. "Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"I'm going to teleport the two of us back to your house."

"So, why can't I keep my eyes open?"

"If you don't want to feel nauseous, it's better if you follow my advice."

"Just so you know, my eyes are already closed."

"Oh…" Annabeth felt his chest vibrate. Was he laughing? "How was I supposed to know that?"

Annabeth mentally rolled her eyes. _Idiot!_ Then she thought once again. _Why am I acting like this? My best friend has just died! And here I am behaving like a lovesick person! The first thing I should do tomorrow morning is to pay a visit to the psychologist!_

"Just so you know," Percy imitated her. "We're home."

Annabeth felt her eyes snap open as she looked around wildly. The two of them were sitting on the floor of her bedroom. In a very suggestive manner. Annabeth felt heat rush to her cheeks and instantly scrambled off him. As she was doing that, she noticed the bronze dagger still grasped in her hands. Had she been holding it the entire time?

"Thanks, I guess," Annabeth muttered, rubbing her neck. "For the free transport." Percy stared at her in silence. For a long time. Annabeth shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "What is it?" she asked.

"You look terrible. Downright terrible."

"Gee thanks. I already know I do."

He got up and gently took the dagger from her hand and put it on her bedside desk. "Sleep," Percy said, or more appropriately, he ordered.

Annabeth scrunched up her nose. "Excuse me?"

"You need to sleep. You're exhausted, Annabeth. Don't try to deny it. Your body is weak and you seriously need to rest."

Annabeth gave a humourless laugh. "How can I sleep after all that has happened? Even if I wanted to sleep, I wouldn't be able to." She was sure that she would be getting nightmares about Luke's death for many more nights to come. "And also, demons are still after me. You think that knowing all this, I'll be able to sleep?"

Percy swore under his breath. "That is why I didn't want you to know. But Wise Girl just had to go and figure it out herself." Annabeth blinked at her new nickname. Percy placed his hand on her forehead. "But don't worry. I'll protect you this night. I won't leave your side. You needn't worry about demons attacking you." He pressed his lips against her ruffled hair. "Just sleep for now, my mate."

Almost immediately, Annabeth felt numbness wash over her, and she knew that it was all Percy's magic, and it somewhat reminded her of the first night they met. That night, Annabeth thought she wouldn't be able to sleep a wink. But she slept soundly the moment she hit her bed, not caring for anything else at that time.

She slept peacefully all throughout, knowing that she was perfectly safe with her demon watching over her. She also had a feeling that this was the last good nap she was going to have in a while.

-o-o-o-

When Annabeth woke up, Percy was not there anymore. For a split second, she wondered if she merely had a nightmare about Luke's death. But she knew that wasn't the case. _Where is Percy?_ Maybe he had gone back to… wherever he lived. She heaved a sigh.

Just as she had got rid of one enemy, another one had arrived. _I must have done something really terrible in my past life to deserve all this,_ she thought sourly. So many things had happened in less than twenty-four hours. Luke was dead. It was her fault. Annabeth buried her face in the comforter.

And now she probably even had a bounty on her head. For no fault of hers! Okay, so maybe it was her fault that Drew died, but the bitch had it coming. The demoness totally deserved it for murdering her closest friend.

With a scowl on her face, Annabeth sat up. She noticed that the dagger on the table beside was no longer bloodied. Maybe Percy had cleaned it. How long had he been absent? Sighing once again, Annabeth took out some clothes and immediately got into the shower to get freshened. She was covered in dirt and her shirt had blood stains. "Damn, this will take a long time to get out," Annabeth grumbled to herself.

Once she had changed, she went downstairs to her kitchen to prepare some coffee. She wasn't really in the mood to eat something, but not eating would not be able to bring back Luke. Better to eat at least something, despite her lack of appetite. Annabeth wondered what Percy would've thought if she had refused to eat. Would he have forced her to have a meal? Shaking her head slightly, Annabeth frowned. _Why am I even thinking about him?_

 _He saved your sorry life,_ her conscience whispered back.

Annabeth poured herself a mug and was about to take a sip, when the doorbell rang. The blonde jumped and almost dropped the mug onto the floor. Silently placing it on the counter, she looked at her front door with wide eyes. Who could have been visiting at such an early hour?

Demons?

Damn, damn, damn! She had left her dagger upstairs! _Should I go and bring it?_ Annabeth narrowed her eyes. Or should she just invoke the incantations she had? But that didn't work last time! Cursing to herself, Annabeth took a dash for her stairs, the doorbell still ringing madly. She rushed into her room and immediately took her bronze dagger into her hands.

The doorbell was still screeching. Sheesh, whoever it was outside was sure impatient. What if Annabeth had been sleeping? Hiding the dagger behind her, Annabeth slowly walked towards her door. Sucking in a sharp breath, she braced herself and reached for the knob and jerked the door open.

Thankfully, it was not a demon.

It was Piper.

Annabeth almost laughed in relief. But then she noticed her friend's disheveled state. Piper's clothes were wrinkled. Her choppy brown hair was a mess. Her eyes were wide and she was panting as if she had run the entire way to her house. "Pipes," Annabeth greeted.

"Annabeth," Piper attempted a smile, but it ended up looking like a grimace. "You look terrible."

Annabeth didn't doubt it. She had bags under her eyes and her hair was pulled back in an untidy bun. Despite having slept for so many hours, she still felt worn out. "Yeah, well, so do you."

Piper chewed on her lips and played with a feather she had tied with a stray strand of her hair. "May I come in?"

Annabeth raised her eyebrow at her sudden formality. She stepped aside, making sure that the dagger she was holding was out of Piper's sight. After her friend was in, she immediately locked the door and hid the dagger under a couch. Piper walked over and flopped onto a chair near the dining table.

"Coffee?" Annabeth asked.

The brunette shook her head. "Listen," she began. "I think I may be in trouble."

Well, the two of them had that in common. "What do you mean?" Annabeth asked as she sipped her caffeine.

Piper twiddled her thumbs. "So, I went to a party last night. It was hosted by one of dad's closest friends. There I met this guy, though I have forgotten his name," she admitted, sounding somewhat sheepish. "And well, we just talked for a few minutes before Dad called me. After that, for the rest of the night, he just kept staring at me. And it was creepy as hell." She shuddered.

Annabeth nodded at her to continue.

"Then early this morning, just after I woke up, I heard a scratching sound at my window. When I turned around, there was a dark figure outside. And then, well, I screamed." Piper looked down, seeming very interested in the table. "I forgot that I wasn't in my father's residence, and hence, had no bodyguards with me. As I tried to get a closer look at the figure, I realized that it was the same man I met last night. And I wasn't thinking properly, so I ran out of my house."

Annabeth let out a strangled breath. "That was a stupid choice you made."

Her friend clenched her fists. "You think I don't know? I freaked, okay? You know I get scared easily. I immediately regretted my decision. But if I had stayed in my room, he would've gotten in."

"Why didn't you call the police quickly?"

"As I said, my drowsiness was affecting my ability to think properly. So, once I started running, it took him by surprise, but then he started following me, if that wasn't obvious. The closest place I knew was your house, so I started to run towards it."

Annabeth nodded. Usually, Piper stayed at her father's residence, but nowadays she had taken a liking to live alone. Maybe she had been experiencing family problems, but Annabeth hadn't prodded much on that topic. The house where Piper lived alone also belonged to her father, but it had been unused for many years (again, Annabeth didn't know why).

Whatever the case, her house was a mere seven minutes walk from Annabeth's. Hence it did not surprise her that she would have chosen this place for shelter. However, if this stalker was still after, then there was no doubt that he might arrive here. "Shit," Annabeth's eyes widened. "Is he still after you?"

"I, uh, no. You see, he almost caught up with me. But - but then I was saved… By _him!_ "

Annabeth blinked. "Who?"

"That guy," Piper hissed. "The one I was talking about to you and Thalia during lunchtime."

Annabeth's mouth made an 'o' in understanding. "Oh, the calm dude. Why was he there?"

"How am I supposed to know? But bless my luck, he pulled out of the way into some alley. He didn't let me go until the stalker was gone." For some reason, Piper didn't sound excited. She seemed freaked out, scared even.

"So, he helped you right?" Annabeth pointed out weakly. "I don't see what's the problem, other than the fact that your stalker might attack again."

"His eyes were glowing, Annabeth! They were freaking glowing! You may think of me as batshit crazy, but I am totally sure!" Piper ran her fingers through her hair and shuddered visibly. "His eyes were a luminescent blue. And then he smiled at me and released my hand. What a smile! It was downright creepy! It's as if he knew that disaster was in store for me!"

 _The hell?_ Annabeth thought. "Hey, you sure we're talking about the same guy? Didn't you say earlier that you felt calm around him?" Maybe he had a twin brother.

"That's the eeriest thing! It's as if he went through a complete transformation within the past few days. So, when he released my hand, I stumbled forwards, and when I whipped around, he had vanished! Poof! Just like that!"

Annabeth stiffened as a sudden thought hit her. _Could it be… Could it be that… No, it can't be! Is this the doing of… some other supernatural being?_ "Pipes, don't be so sure! Maybe it was his twin brother or somebody?"

"Fine, even if I accept that, what explanation would you give for the glowing eyes, huh?"

"Uh, your wild imagination?"

"And his sudden disappearance?"

"Um, super speed and agility? Maybe he is practicing for the marathon?"

"Bullshit!" Piper cried. "Honestly, I don't think it's his twin brother. Sheesh, and to think I called him an angel a few days ago!"

"Ah, but you see, he is an angel."

The two girls jumped at the foreign voice. One which sounded suspiciously familiar to Annabeth. She set her coffee mug down on the table hard and stood up, her muscles still. Piper was merely gaping widely at the new stranger in the room.

"Though he is not exactly the kind of angel you are thinking of," Percy's voice drawled from behind her.

-o-o-o-

 **Yeah, so slightly longer chap. Did you like it? Next update will hopefully be soon.**

 **Also, this chapter is unedited. Hence if you see some mistakes or grammatical errors, please feel free to notify me. R &R!**

 **Kudos~!**


	9. I Might Be Losing My Self Control

**Hello, hello! *bows head* AND HOLY FREAKING SHIT! OVER 10K READS?! *bursts into tears* I'm no worthy! I don't deserve such praise!**

 **A big big big thanks to all those who reviewed! Like seriously! It brightens my day when I read them. Also, belated congratulations to AnnaUnicorn for being DWTD's 100th reviewer! I'm terrible for forgetting to mention this earlier! XD**

 **Disclaimer: Do you really think I own Percy Jackson and the Olympians? *silence* Yeah, it's obvious...**

 **Ch 9: I Might Be Losing Self Control:**

Percy's dramatic entrance had shocked the two girls into silence. Annabeth sensed a feeling of dread wash over her. Tiny beads of perspiration ran down her neck. Piper's eyes were wide open and she was shamelessly gaping at the stranger. If the situation wasn't so crucial, Annabeth might have chuckled. Keyword: Might.

The brunette slowly turned to gawk at her friend. "Annabeth?" her voice was a mixture of excitement and perplexity. "Mind telling me why there is a boy in your house? A tremendously hot guy, to be precise."

Annabeth made a squeaking sound in reply, while Percy smirked at the compliment. Great! Now his ego was going to get so big that it wouldn't even fit in her house! But before she could say anything, Piper resumed, "So that is the reason why you look like a mess today!" Annabeth felt herself blush at the sly undertone and she heard the demon chuckle.

Percy dragged a chair and sat opposite Piper, bending over slightly and resting his head on his arms. "You're being followed." It was a statement, not a question.

"Wha-? Uh, hah! I mean, yeah!" Piper stammered clumsily as she stared at him. "How did you know that?"

"I overheard your conversation," he shot a glance at Annabeth. The said girl was still standing stiffly, and upon noticing the demon's knowing look, she unenthusiastically sat down and forced herself to loosen up. "As I was saying, you are being followed by an angel."

Piper frowned. "Uh, was that some kind of code?"

"I meant an actual angel."

"Don't be silly! Such things don't exist!"

Percy laughed slightly. "Don't exist, eh? And what makes you think that? Just because you've never seen them doesn't mean that they don't exist." He narrowed his eyes. "If he is stalking you then that means he is interested in you. But why would an angel be interested in a mortal girl?"

Piper blinked, obviously not comprehending what Percy was saying.

"Say," Percy continued. "You said that few days ago you felt an aura of tranquility around him."

"Yeah…?"

"And now it's the opposite."

"Yes?"

Percy turned his head so sharply that Annabeth nearly jumped out of her skin. His gaze was directed towards her, his eyes flooded with emotions. But one of them stood out clearly: rage. "It's just as I feared," his eyes darkened even more as he whispered.

Annabeth faintly hoped that his eyes wouldn't change colour in front of Piper, otherwise her friend might just end up going into cardiac arrest. "What?" she choked out.

"Your friend," he glanced at the brunette. "Is being followed by a fallen angel."

The silence that followed was very uncomfortable. Piper shifted in her seat, unsure what to say, while Annabeth looked at her mate in disbelief. Did he actually say that to Piper? Why was he dragging her into all this supernatural stuff? It was understandable that she was being followed by a paranormal being, but she didn't know about the world of demons and angels. If she knows, then she'll only get into more trouble.

"That was a joke, right?" Pipes smiled wearily.

"Not at all."

"But this is silly! I was merely comparing him to an angel at that moment, not actually saying that he was a real angel! Besides, why are you even telling me stuff like this?"

"And that's because I'm a-"

Annabeth stood up harshly yet again, with such a force that her chair almost toppled over. "Enough," she bit out, send Percy a glare. "I've had enough of this!" _You can't just corrupt my uncontaminated friend like that!_

Percy frowned at her, as if he knew what she was screaming inside her mind (which he probably did), while Piper stared on with a lost look on her face, appearing so confused that Annabeth felt pity for her.

"Piper, don't listen to this idiot," she pointed at the demon, who seemed as if he wanted to roll his eyes. "And you've really misunderstood our relation. We're not dating. Just friends."

From the corner of her eye, she saw Percy become tense and shoot her a warning look. He looked as if he was about to argue, but before he could, Annabeth snapped. "Shut up! That's an order." A murderous expression crossed his face as he reluctantly closed his mouth. His eyes momentarily flashed red, and Annabeth was glad that he wasn't facing Piper. It suspiciously felt as if the two of them were going to have a long talk after Piper was gone.

"Friends?" Piper blinked. "When exactly did you guys become friends? We and Thalia practically hang out all the time, and I've never seen you acting all friendly with a boy, and also-"

"Piper," Annabeth groaned. "That's not the point. All I was telling you is to not listen to this fellow right here. You see, he is a big fan of the supernatural world and spends all his time reading novels on them and stuff. All that reading is making him spout gobbledygook."

"Oh…"

Percy was most probably glowering at her right now. Annabeth ignored him. "I think it's best if you called the police and told them all about this."

"You're right," Piper muttered. "Also, I'm calling Dad. I got freaked and ran all the way here. I can't go back to my house, because I'm too freaked out. I'll just have to ask him if I could spend the rest few days at his residence." She sighed. "Really sorry for troubling you both." She glanced at Percy, who by then had put a nonchalant mask on his face.

She smiled at him. "Well, it was nice meeting you."

"It was quite interesting." Percy sent her a charming grin.

Somehow that made Piper blush and when she was sure that Percy wasn't looking her way, she fanned her face and mouthed _He's hot!_ to Annabeth. The blonde looked at her warily and wanted to tell her that Percy had seen her actions. After that Piper scurried off into a corner to call her father.

-o-o-o-

Piper went home after around fifteen minutes. Her father had sent a car for her so that she could reach home safely. He became very paranoid when he heard that she had a stalker, and Annabeth wouldn't be surprised if from then onwards Piper would suddenly show up with two bodyguards behind her back.

She chatted quite a lot with Percy. Though the demon didn't seem much excited with the fact, he still talked to her politely, probably because she was one of Annabeth's good friends. However, that didn't stop him from shooting dark glances in her direction every now and then. Annabeth shuddered to think what he might be thinking about.

Chaos began the moment Piper stepped out of her house.

As soon as Annabeth closed the front door, Percy pinned her to wall, his hands on either side of her head, effectively caging her form from trying to escape. Her hands immediately went up to his chest, vainly attempting to push him back. _But of course, idiot!_ She shouted at herself. _You pissed him off, this was bound to happen._

"Let me go," she grumbled as she tried to struggle.

"Friend?" Percy asked incredulously. "Did you call me your friend?"

"But of course," Annabeth hissed. "Why should I say that we're dating, when we're not? Besides, Piper knows that I have – had – a crush on Luke. Don't you think she'd get suspicious if I start to date another person?"

"Well, she might just deduce that you're trying to make him jealous," Percy scrunched his nose at the mention of Luke. "She was the one you were talking about a few days earlier, wasn't she? You shouldn't have stopped me though. She deserves to know."

"No, she doesn't," Annabeth argued. "Keep her out of this, Percy. Piper doesn't deserve to be dragged into this insane supernatural world. Let her lead a normal life."

Percy's eyes squinted at her. "And why do you think that your friend suddenly has a stalker?"

"Why not? She's pretty. She's sweet. It wouldn't surprise me if a guy fell for her."

Percy moved so suddenly that Annabeth almost jumped out of her skin. He buried his face in the nape of her neck and tickled her skin with his nose. "You're more beautiful, though."

 _What the hell?!_ Annabeth wanted to scream. _Are you freaking bipolar or something? First, you're angry at me, then you start complimenting me! Men, they are all the same!_ "Oi, get off," she snapped harshly as she tried to fight his hold.

He ignored her adequately. "Do you think you love me Annabeth?"

"Eh?" Her eyes went wide. Why was he asking this all of a sudden? "Hey you bipolar demon, are you going crazy or something?" When he didn't reply, Annabeth sighed. "Percy, you know that I don't. We've known each other for barely a week. Obviously you can't love someone in such a short amount of time."

"But I do," he whispered huskily near her ear.

 _W-what?_ All of a sudden, Annabeth realized how close the two of them were. Her breaths started to become shaky. His close proximity was doing things to her mind. _Damn hormones!_ She was flushed and their bodies were pressed against each other, so close that she could feel the coldness of his skin through the fabric of his shirt.

"You're my mate," he whispered as he sucked on her neck slightly. His hands moved to her waist and gripped her tightly, puller her nearer. His sucking grew harsher and Annabeth found herself stifling a moan. "You belong to me, and I belong to you. We're meant for each other. There's no use in denying it, Annabeth. You are bound to fall for me sooner or later."

"Percy," she gasped as his fingers lifted the hem of her shirt slightly and traced circles on her skin. Her conscience screamed at her to stop, but her body urged her to not struggle. Annabeth had never felt so conflicted in her entire life. She had to stop! But she didn't want to. Heck, it was too soon!

Percy groaned against her neck. "Damn. I love it when you say my name like that."

She felt his canines tease her skin. For a fleeting and frightening moment, she felt a wave of pleasure wash over her, a sensation which unknowingly made her curl her toes and arch her back, fighting a whimper that was trying to escape. But this tidal wave of pleasure, despite being tidal, didn't last for long, and sadly, Annabeth was back to her senses.

"Stop," she muttered weakly. "Percy, seriously. Stop! That's an order!"

But somehow her words had no effect on him. He trailed kisses from her neck to her jaw line, and then her cheek, while Annabeth merely stood there with her heart in her throat. "Stop it," she tried to sound stern, but then he suddenly kissed the sensitive skin behind her ear, and the sensation was so overwhelming that she had to grip his shoulders for support.

Why were her words not affecting him? Annabeth was in a state of puzzlement, unable to make out right from wrong as Percy continued torment her body with his mouth. _Why am I responding like this? What is wrong with me?_

The demon, having seemingly read her thoughts, let out a chuckle. "Do you want to know why your words don't affect me right now, Annabeth?" Heavens above! Just the sound of his voice made her blush harder. His cool breath fanned her ear, and she was sure that he was doing it on purpose.

"Get off of me, Percy!" Annabeth shouted. Why was the locket not working? Had he performed some magic on it?

"Simple enough," he said as he pulled back and gazed at her face, his eyes a vibrant red by then. "That's because you're not putting your entire heart into your order." Annabeth's breath hitched in her throat. Percy tweaked her nose lightly. "When you are ordering me to stop, you don't actually want me to stop. And that's why the locket is not working."

"Impossible," Annabeth bit out, even though she knew that it was very much possible. It was true, part of her wanted him to stop, while the other part didn't. "I've had enough of this," she turned her frustration into anger. _You're being stupid Annabeth. Your crush died yesterday, and now you are behaving shamelessly like this._ "Get off of me," she repeated, and this time Percy complied, his disappointed face revealing that the locket was working its magic again.

"Don't deny the bond, Annabeth," he said quietly. "Because the more you do that, the stronger you start to feel. I know that you're attracted to me."

"Fine," she retorted. "Maybe I am attracted to you. But attraction and love are not the same, Percy. First make me fall in love with you, and then we'll see!" A good second passed, and Annabeth's face went ghastly white when she realized what she said.

"Is that a challenge?" His voice was amused.

"Not at all," she murmured as ran past him and up the stairs. Before she entered her room she hesitated and looked back at him. He sent her a smirk, and Annabeth went inside and slammed the door behind her, trying to ignore her beating heart.

-o-o-o-

Annabeth had locked her door, despite knowing that it was of no use against the demon for he could easily kick it down. She let out a huff as she sat on her bed, trying to think of anything except Percy.

The sudden revelation of her _slight_ attraction towards him wad too much. Annabeth groaned as she fisted her hair, a little bit glad that Percy had not followed her to her room. _Fallen angel,_ she recalled. _It was a fallen angel that saved Piper._ The thought caused her to frown. Maybe all these events were somehow related. Though she hoped they were not, the possibilities were too much. She had to discuss this with Percy.

She bit back a sigh. _That's right._ She had to talk to him. But after all that had happened, Annabeth thought that it was better for her to delay the discussion by a few hours. Trying to distract herself (it wasn't helping that her cheeks were still warm), Annabeth grabbed a random textbook off her desk and tried to study, but before she could even read a word, a knock sounded on her door, and she was a hundred percent sure who it was.

"I know what you're thinking about," Percy said from the other side of the door.

"Get lost," Annabeth shut her book, knowing that she wouldn't be able to concentrate anymore.

"Now Annabeth, the two of us know what the consequences would be if I actually did that."

 _He just had to remind me,_ she thought as her mood turned sour. "What do you want? Or perhaps you're just here to taunt me?"

"I came up because I knew that you wanted to discuss the safety of your friend."

"Stop reading my mind. I appreciate a little privacy."

"Can't help it. A demon only has access to his mate's thoughts, and nobody else's. I can always feel other's emotions, but not their thoughts. It's a new thing for me."

Annabeth suddenly felt the urge to dig a hole deep into the ground and crawl into it and stay there for eternity. "Get back to the point. What do you know about this fallen angel?"

"Won't you open the door first?"

"No. Speak from outside," she ordered.

Annabeth could absolutely feel the exasperated look on his face, and faintly heard him mutter something that sounded suspiciously like 'coward'. She rolled her eyes, though silently accepting the insult. When she didn't speak further, Percy let out a groan.

"Alright then. From what you said to me earlier, and your friend's version of what happened today, I am sure that the angel has fallen only recently."

"So…?"

"A fallen angel is one who has committed a sin, which is something that only demons do. Hence, they are neither angels nor are they demons. They are stripped of their powers, are very weak, and can be easily manipulated."

Annabeth frowned as a few dots started to connect in her brain. But still being unsure, she prodded him to continue. "What do you mean?" she spoke quietly, knowing that he could very well hear her.

"Supernaturals don't involve with humans, Annabeth. And when they do, they usually have some type of ulterior motive. What happened yesterday, and what happened today, the situations match."

"Wait," Annabeth's eyes widened. "You're saying that this fallen angel is being controlled by one of the demons who are after me. But that means you're also implying that he is dangerous to Piper. He saved her life."

"Ulterior motives. I'm not totally sure, but I have a feeling that this guy possessed her stalker, just so that she could meet him," Percy said. "It seems as if this fallen angel is trying to get close to your friend, just so that he could indirectly get to you. And once he has his hands on you, it will only give your enemies the advantage."

Annabeth felt as if someone had punched her hard. "We don't have any solid proof of this theory, Percy. How can you be so sure?"

His next words chilled her to the core. "My intuition is proof enough."

-o-o-o-

 **And we've reached the end of the chappie! How was it? R &R!**

 **Don't hate me for leaving you here! Please!**

 **Kudos~!**


	10. I Become A Stalker

**Guys. Guys!** ** _Guys!_**

 **We are so close to a hundred favourites and 200 follows. I'm biting my nails over here! Sorry for this late update. Whenever I sit down to write, life is like: "LOL bish, nope." So yeah...**

 **Welcome to all the new readers, and also the old ones! How are y'all doing? Also, we're finally on to ten chapters! Whoop!**

 **Thanks to DetectiveRan008, Real Percy Jackson, the flower bed, AnnaUnicorn, Tori Chase, PercabethfanNo.1, DeadlyHuggles, Fratzy, Percabeth4ever, Don't Trust Ducks (luv that username, btw), Ms Chenandler Bong, KiSierra, SugarRushedTornado, andFallingRed! And also a big big thanks to all the readers!**

 **I was thinking of replying to all reviews here from next chapter onwards..**

 **Disclaimer: Same old, same old. Me no own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**

 **Ch 10: I Become A Stalker:**

"Where were you this morning?" Annabeth muttered absentmindedly as she flipped through her textbook. It was evening, and Annabeth had effectively spent her entire day by worrying about the fallen angel, also her friend's safety, mourning over Luke's death now and then, studying for her upcoming exams, and all in all, stressing herself out.

Just a normal day in the life of Annabeth Chase.

Percy had remained in her house and had busied himself by hogging her television. When she curiously enquired if he read novels, he replied that he was dyslexic and didn't waste his time by bothering to read.

"Well, don't watch it too much," she had told him.

He had looked at her quizzically. "I won't get eye problems, you know."

"It's not your eyes I'm worried about," she had almost laughed. "I'm worried about the bill."

Right then, he was in _her_ room (she had reluctantly let him in when he had threatened to break the door off its hinges), and was sitting cross-legged on _her_ bed, and was attempting to solve _her_ Rubik's cube. Or in other words, he was dominating Annabeth's property, and that was vastly pissing her off, though she valiantly tried to ignore it.

Percy looked up when she spoke and a grin made its way onto his face. "Why do you ask? Did you miss me?" She rolled her eyes at him. "To answer your question, I went to visit my mother. You had no need to worry about your safety, though. I have put up wards around your house and have ensured that they work perfectly."

Annabeth felt her eyebrows shoot up. "Wait. You have a mother?" Then she mentally cringed at how incredulous she sounded and wanted to berate herself for being so silly. "I mean, of course you must be having a mother. It's just that…" she trailed off, not finding the perfect words to describe her thoughts.

"What?" Percy drawled, an amused glint in his eyes. "Did you seriously think that demons can't reproduce?"

"That's not it," she hissed. "I just can't imagine you as a child."

"Really?" He grinned wider. "Hate to break it to you, but I was a very cute kid."

Annabeth suddenly had a deeply terrifying mental image of a chibi Percy with tiny demon wings and puppy dog eyes, smiling brightly all the time as he stabbed his enemies with a sword. She suppressed a shudder. "My imagination makes it look terrifying. I'm scarred for life."

She saw his shoulders shake with silent laughter as he returned his attention to the 'eccentric' cube he was holding. Annabeth merely shrugged her shoulders to herself and turned back to her book.

Percy didn't speak for a long time, but then he said out of the blue, "Say, where is your family?"

Now that made Annabeth freeze in surprise. "London," she blurted out before she could stop herself. _Shit! Shit! Why did I answer him? Why do I always behave like this when I'm near him?! This is frustrating! I can't believe he caught me off guard!_ She could feel his gaze burning holes into her back and urged herself to not turn around.

"London," she heard him repeat slowly. Did he even know where London was? Annabeth chided herself once again for having such useless thoughts. "Why not here?"

"I'm not really on the best of terms with them right now."

"And why is that?"

"Why are you so interested?" she snapped, unable to control her annoyance at his insistence, glaring at the textbook in front of her. The topic of her parents was a sore one for her.

He didn't reply for that, and Annabeth wondered if he was surprised at her behavior. After a few seconds, she heard a shuffling sound behind her, and before she could even wonder what was causing the sound, a hand slammed the Rubik's cube onto her desk, causing Annabeth to jump in terror. She vainly tried to calm down her racing heart while Percy muttered, "I can't solve this thing."

 _But of course you can't! You couldn't have steered the topic into something else, could you?!_ "There's a formula to solve the cube," Annabeth muttered after her heart had calmed down and she had finished swearing at the demon in her mind. "Although I am afraid that I haven't memorized it."

Percy hummed in reply as leant against her chair and put his hands on her shoulders. That caused Annabeth to stiffen yet again. Part of her curiously wondered what the meaning behind his sudden gesture was. The coolness of his palms was seeping into her skin, which made her suppress a shiver, and she wondered if she should shrug his hands off.

"What," she said slowly, "are you doing?"

"Why won't you tell me what's wrong between you and your parents?" Percy mimicked her tone and it seemed as if he was taunting her. He tightened his grip on her shoulders.

 _Freaking demon!_ Annabeth shouted in her mind. _Are you trying to hypnotize me or something? Why can't you just leave this matter alone? Get a hold of yourself, Annabeth!_ "Again, why are you so interested?" she asked warily.

"Because I'm your mate."

She nearly snorted at that. "Why are you even asking me? Can't you just read my mind or something and find out?"

"Ah, but I can only read your current thoughts, not your past memories. To do that, I must possess your body, something which is not possible at the moment," he nodded at her chrysoberyl bracelet. "Besides, aren't you the one who asked me to stay out of your head?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, ignoring the playful smirk he sent her. "Why do you want to know about my parents?"

"Because you're my mate," he repeated. "And I want to know more about you."

"I'll tell you when the time is right."

"I'm not falling for that bullshit," Percy let out a light laugh. "Tell me right now," he whined like a little kid. " _Annabeth._ "

Somehow, a smile slipped onto her face. It was hard to remember that he was a demon sometimes. "And what if I don't?" she playfully raised an eyebrow, playing along.

"Then I will irritate you so much that you'll be forced to say it. I'm absolutely serious," he added upon noticing her blank look. "Sheesh, Annabeth. I'll even tell you about my family."

"You will?"

He nodded his head eagerly.

She rolled her eyes. "Then you go first."

"Huh? But that's not fair. I asked you first! Besides, ladies first. Isn't that what they say?"

"They do. But the lady is asking you to begin, and hence you must be gentlemanly enough to listen to her requests."

"You're impossible," Percy grumbled. "How did I get a mate like you? Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about your parents."

"Well, my parents met for the first time many centuries ago. And…"

"And?"

Percy didn't response and stared at her quietly. Annabeth blinked at him, wondering why he had suddenly stopped in the middle of the sentence. He scowled at her. "You begin. I'm not speaking further."

She blinked again.

"You tricked me into speaking," Percy replied. "I asked first. You start speaking before I think of other ways to get you to reveal your past. And besides, I was never a gentleman."

Annabeth was about to retort that she most definitely not tricked him, but figured out that it would just be a waste of time. It was likely that Percy wouldn't stop pestering her until she told him about her parents (though she still wasn't sure why he actually wanted to hear about them so much). "You're not going to give up, are you?"

"Not at all, love."

Annabeth sighed, ignoring the fact he had just called her 'love'. She tapped her chin dramatically. "Well, where to begin? My mom and dad first met on a lovely Sunday morning in spr-"

"Cut the crap."

She chortled, before the smile dropped from her face and her expression became serious once again. "Whatever. You see, when I was five, my parents had a divorce. I don't know the exact reason why, because Dad always refuses to tell me, but I guess things just didn't work out," she bit her lip. "When they separated, my mother gave me an option. I could either go with her, or I could stay back with Dad. And well, I was young, and I was gullible, so I decided to stay back. My mother threw a fit after that, calling me names and cursing me and what not." Annabeth took in a deep breath.

"Hey," Percy squeezed her shoulders, his voice gruff. "You can stop if you want. I'm sorry that I insisted."

"No," she breathed out, slightly irritated. "Don't tell me to stop if I've already begun. After about a year of their separation, he married another woman. And the most unfortunate thing was that she was extremely nice. I wanted to hate her. I kept trying to look for reasons to hate her, but I got none. She gave birth to twins sometime later, and those two brats are probably the best siblings one could ask for. Yet I was secretly unhappy. I kept remembering my mother's warning that I will regret my choice throughout my life."

Annabeth paused to let out a laugh, bitter and devoid of emotion. "In the end, I felt very guilty about trying to hate my dad and step-family despite the fact that they had done nothing to me. In the family, I was the antagonist, not anyone else. I had been given an option, and I had chosen this life, so I shouldn't really want to hate others. I decided to move out and come here to study. The rest moved to London a few months later."

"Do you visit them?"

"Yea, once every year during Christmas."

"Oh, the horror."

She was tempted to smile. Percy was trying his best to change the topic, and not saying that he was sorry or things. Talking about her family was not an easy thing for her, and only her two friends knew about it.

"Say," his voice was like silk against her ears. "Do you need a hug?"

"From you? Not at all."

"That's what I thought," he chuckled before embracing her tightly. Annabeth yelped in surprise, not having expected the sudden sly move from him. She tried to wiggle out of his grasp, but then she wondered why she even bothered to try.

"Oi, let go." She got no reply. Annabeth squirmed due to the coldness of his skin. "Percy, you're cold."

"And you're hot."

"Holy shit, that was so terrible," she groaned. "I can't believe you actually said that."

"C'mon," he grumbled next to her ear before nuzzling his head against her hair. "You might be somewhat immune to my charms, but I'm not to yours."

Annabeth kept quiet, partly in surprise, and partly because she wasn't sure about what to say in response to that.

"Annabeth," he sounded exasperated. "I think you are beautiful, downright irresistible and charming beyond belief."

"Uh, thanks?" She was still unsure why he was complimenting her all of a sudden.

"You're so irresistible that if it weren't for this goddamn piece of agate, I would've probably jumped on you a hundred times by now."

 _Okay. That went from 0-100 real quick._ "Well, that's the entire point of putting that agate locket on you, dumbass." He made a strangled noise, undoubtedly disappointed at her ignoring his precious compliments. "Percy," she sighed. "Move."

"No."

"Well then, I order you to get off. I have my exams upcoming and I can't allow myself to become distracted by such things."

"Are you for real?" he muttered as he stepped back, sounding unsurprisingly upset. "You're so confusing and bipolar at times. It makes me wonder how I ended up with a mate like you."

"The feeling's mutual, demon," she rolled her eyes. Annabeth thought about how childish he was behaving. It was a completely different behavior from how he was when he first met her. She had read in a few fantasy romance novels about how males usually reveal a softer side of themselves to their mates. She absentmindedly grabbed the Rubik's cube and started rotating it aimlessly.

"Can you solve that?" Percy asked.

"No. As I said earlier, I haven't memorized the entire formula. As of now, I can only solve three or four sides."

"You know, for a human, you are pretty talented."

"Gee thanks demon. That flattering remark won over my heart."

"I wouldn't be surprised if it did," he retorted. Annabeth arched an eyebrow and craned her neck to the side to look at him. He smirked at her. "After all, I have to make you fall for me."

"Good luck with that," she said with an impassive face, trying to keep her voice deadpan. She hadn't expected him to take her words seriously. Annabeth Chase would probably never understand demons, not even if her life depended on it.

"Thank you. And do me a favour and answer this question of mine," he lifted a finger. "How many boyfriends?" Percy asked simply.

"Boyfriends?" She choked. This guy surely knew how to change topics real quick. "Why do you want to know?"

"I just want to," he said in a suspiciously eagerly way, which did nothing to calm Annabeth and made her a bit more anxious. Knowing Percy, he would probably kill off all the persons whose names she'd utter, even if it happened to be her brothers'.

"I haven't dated anyone before," she told him. "It's the truth," she added upon noticing his frown.

"Why ever not?"

Annabeth shot him a look. "I don't know. First off, I don't think any of those dudes out there wanted to date a boring and anti-social nerd like me."

"But you're so beautiful."

 _Stop calling me that. I might blush._ "There are more gorgeous-looking girls out there," she replied. "And besides, dating is too much trouble."

"Annabeth, I said that you _are_ beautiful."

"Stop sweet-talking," she muttered as she looked at him with slight surprise. She had originally planned on thanking him, but changed her mind. There was no way she was going to give that ego boost. Not so soon, anyways.

"I'm not lying."

"Yeah, well. Thank you," she ended up saying that.

He groaned. "You are so dumb!" Annabeth narrowed her eyes at time. "Though I suppose you are right," he mused some seconds later. "There are, without any doubt, prettier girls out there."

She rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that day, before chucking her History textbook at him, and then feeling a pang of displeasure hit her heart as she saw him dodge her weapon with great effortlessness.

-o-o-o-

"Why are we here once again?" Annabeth muttered as she stared at the enormous residence in front of her. She knew that Piper's dad was rich, but never knew that he was this rich. She bit her lip as she glanced at all the guards patrolling the perimeter. The security was top notch, but Annabeth doubted that they could win against a paranormal being. "If they catch us, we're dead," she whispered. "Or more precisely, I'm dead. You can probably just vanish into thin air or something."

"In the first place, you are the one who insisted on coming here with me," Percy replied in a monotone. "These guys are not going to find us, and even if they do attempt to kill you, I'll massacre them beforehand."

"How romantic," she muttered before glancing around, feeling weird that she was hiding behind some bushes. She felt like a stalker. _Oh, the irony,_ she sighed mentally. "Do you really think he might be here? The fallen angel, I mean."

"Well, that's the entire point of us being here, to remind you," he didn't even bat an eyelash, both literally and figuratively. "We are here to find out if Mr. Fallen Dude is really after your charming friend or not."

"Feeling sarcastic today, aren't we?" she shot him a glare.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Wise Girl."

"... Wise Girl?"

"That's my new nickname for you, love."

"Er..."

"Never mind that," Percy ran a hand through his hair. "We have to get to this no matter what. If he really is under manipulation of a demon, then you are in massive trouble. He might have been sent here to kill you, and he is probably trying to lure you into a trap by going after your friends."

"There is still a chance that he may not be what he seems," she said quietly.

He turned to look at her, an unreadable expression on his face. "You shouldn't hope so much."

She knew that, yet she prayed for the best for her friend. She didn't want Piper to be dragged into all this, just because of one or two jealous demons. Annabeth clenched her fists unconsciously.

Last time she had been unable to kill Drew. But this time she would try her best to succeed. She would not allow supernatural creatures to mess with her life anymore. The dagger was safe and sound in the pocket of her jacket. If any demon appeared today, she would not let it get away.

Annabeth Chase was in quite the vengeful mood.

All of a sudden, Percy bent over and whispered in her ear. "Don't be so stiff. It's cute, and very, very distracting."

She scowled at him, being caught off guard. "Mind your own business."

"I tried my best, but you're more appealing."

Annabeth huffed as she rubbed her cold hands together. She really regretted coming to investigate with Percy. She could've done far better things on a Sunday morning, like sleeping in. Although she didn't admit, she was still a bit tired from the events that had occurred in the span of two days.

First, she had been almost choked to death, and then she was made to watch her crush die in front of her, and to top it off, she had been unable to even harm the murderer. On the contrary, she had been rendered absolutely helpless.

Percy grabbed her hands, which didn't do her much good, for his hands were icy cold. "Annabeth."

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I know." _What's with him?_

"Do you hate me?"

She stared at him. Why was he asking that? "I don't," she replied slowly but truthfully.

"And why is that?"

"Well, I guess you're not that bad," she said. "Why are we talking about this?"

"I..." He had a weird look on his face. "Listen, I-"

He was cut off when the two of them saw a blur of black move in the sky. The guards didn't seem to notice it, but the two of them saw it all. Annabeth felt her eyes widen as she watched the culprit hovering in the sky, surrounded by wave of blackness.

It was the fallen angel, obviously.

And he was staring directly at them.

-o-o-o-

 ***Shots fired***

 **I tried my best during this chapter. It's so hard to write cute scenes, but I hoped it made you smile a bit. If not, then... I can't complain.** **Yesterday I was rereading my entire story. And whenever it came to the romance part, it made me cringe so much. I was thinking all the time: Did I seriously write that?**

 **Ah well, please R &R, guys! I love you! I really do! **

**PS: The brief flashback Annabeth experienced in Chapter 6 were the memories of her mother shouting at her before leaving. If you caught on to that, congratulations! If not, then now you know. :)**

 **Kudos~!**


	11. I Feel Weird

***random noises in the background***

 **Well, peekaboo anyone...?**

 ***silence***

 ***Cue nervous laughter***

 **So, I will start speaking before everyone starts screaming! (hey, that rhymed). I am so sorry! So very, very, very sorry for not updating in, like, several months. 2017 was like one of the shittiest years for me, and I know that this is no proper excuse to make up for my long absence, but I hope that you all can forgive me! I swear it won't happen again.**

 **This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I didn't want to make you guys wait longer. (Did I just use two 'longer's in the same sentence? Ah, screw this shit)! Next update will definitely be this weekend. Pardon all the grammatical errors because this chapter was written in a rush (Oh, and I would be happy if you are kind enough to point them out).**

 **Thank you to all those who have reviewed, favourited, followed this story and me. A big fat thanks to all of you! Even you guys who just keep reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I own my laptop, not Percy Jackson and the Olympians**

 **Ch 11: I Feel Weird:**

Well...

When Annabeth had first heard about the fallen angel, she had expected him to be somewhat hideous, considering that it was angel who had sinned. She hadn't expected him to be, well, attractive. And when she said attractive, she meant 'holy-moly-he's-a-fucking-sexy-Greek-God-oh-you-gorgeous-soul-you.' At the same time, he gave off a creepy vibe which would make a normal person want to run off screaming.

Which perhaps meant that she was abnormal. Ah, well.

The fallen angel was blond, just like Piper had said. His unruly hair swept over his forehead and shaded his eyes. His orbs were a startling electric blue; glowing and glazing over like flames of a blue inferno. His dove-like wings were midnight black, even darker than Percy's hair, spread out in their glory behind him. Maybe if Annabeth had seen him a few days earlier, his wings could have been white.

Percy sent her a dark look. She realised with a jolt that he had felt her emotions and that made her guilty enough to blush in shame. Clearing her throat a bit, she murmured, "Is that the guy?"

"What do you think?" His voice was monotonous, but she knew that he was annoyed. The demon probably had a multiple personality disorder (and he called her bipolar!). To think he was behaving so strange hardly just a minute ago.

"Uh, he is looking at us."

"I'm well aware of that." Cue the sarcasm.

"So, what do we do?"

"Nothing."

"Eh?" Annabeth's eyes widened as she whisper-shouted, afraid that if she was too loud the guards will catch her. She was Piper's friend, but those guys didn't know that. They'd probably fling her into the jail before she could even explain. "What do you mean, Percy? Your plan was to catch him, wasn't it?"

"What I mean is that I'm waiting for him to make the first move," Percy let a smirk grace his face. "Then I'll attack."

"And what makes you think that he is going to make the first move?"

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, his irises flashing and turning red for a moment. "Oh, he will. This fallen angel is possessed by a demon, and demons are very aggressive. They use brawn rather than brain. It's absolutely possible that he is going to attack first."

Annabeth didn't remind him that he was a demon as well. Feeling slightly unnerved on watching is sinister smile, she asked "Are you sure that he is possessed?"

"As sure as I'll ever be. He has the scent of a demon all over him. I can smell it," Percy said. Curious, Annabeth sniffed the air, but then felt embarrassed and awkward when she couldn't smell anything. Well, that was obvious. She wasn't even sure why she did that during such a crucial situation.

Annabeth turned her gaze back to the angel. He was glaring at them (that was her best guess, she couldn't really make out his expression properly), but he made no sound. He looked as if he wanted to kill everyone in front of him. For many minutes, he made no movement. Annabeth could feel her body getting stiff due to being in the same position. Percy and Mr. Fallen Angel just kept staring at each other, without blinking. It felt the world's most intense and the longest staring competition.

And then, Mr. Fallen Angel quickly raised an arm and waved it sideward. It happened so fast that Annabeth partly wondered if it had been an illusion. But one glance at Percy's face and she knew that it had been real. The angel wanted them to follow him. Annabeth frowned to herself. Just what idiot was going to fall for that trap?

"I'm following him."

Well, the person next to her was the most idiotic idiot she had ever seen.

"You can't be serious?" she said harshly and quickly grabbed his sleeve. "It's obvious that this is a trap."

"You think I don't know?" he breathed. He removed her hand and held it in a vice grip. "But I have to follow him. It's my only chance to defeat him. Besides, I believe in my strength."

Annabeth tried to pull her hand out of his cold grasp. "Alright. But I'm coming with you."

"No," he snapped. "You're not. You're going to stay here."

"But I can hel-"

"No, you can't. Listen to me Annabeth. You managed to wound Drew last time because she was overcome by her jealousy and she underestimated you too much. But the same won't happen this time. You can't defeat a supernatural without proper training. If you're there with me, then the angel is bound to target you. So use that smart head of yours and stay here."

Annabeth felt anger bubbling inside her, but she knew that Percy was right and tried to tone it down. However, he didn't understand. She knew that she was no match for supernaturals, but she wanted to fight. "If I'm not going to do anything, then what was the point of me coming here?" she gritted out.

"Again, it was you who insisted on coming here with me. I've got nothing to do with this. Also, you could stay here and look out for other demons while I deal with the fallen angel."

Annabeth's eyes widened as a sudden thought hit her. "Is that what they want?" she blurted out. Percy frowned at her. She pursed her lips and said, "I think that the person controlling the fallen angel is trying to separate us deliberately. Think about it! It makes sense! You will be busy fighting the angel, and I'll be here alone. That will give them the perfect opportunity to attack me. Now, I'm not saying that I'm going to back out from the fight, but suppose I'm overpowered by the enemy and am helpless, then you might not be able to come to my side."

Percy stared at her in dead silence, before running a hand down his face. "Shit," he muttered. "You're right. You're absolutely right. You're in danger either way." He let out a heavy sigh. "It's better if you come with me."

Annabeth shot him a victorious smile. "I'll make sure not to be useless."

He gave her a hard stare. "Don't put yourself in unnecessary trouble." He turned back to look at the fallen angel, who was still hovering in the sky (Annabeth had to salute his patience), and nodded slightly. Now, Annabeth's eyesight wasn't that good but she was sure that she could feel a smirk form on his face, before he shot off into some unknown direction.

She blinked at his sudden disappearance, but before she could comprehend what had happened, Percy grabbed her waist and ordered her to close her eyes. Squeezing her eyes shut she felt a gust of wind against her body, and she didn't open them till Percy asked her to.

-o-o-o-

Though when she did, she immediately regretted it. It seemed like Percy had magically teleported them to some dark alley. Annabeth was tempted to scrunch up her nose at the cheesiness of it all (for it totally seemed like a scene out of a cliché horror movie), but then she feared that the fallen dude might notice it and zap her to death.

... Well, she was being slightly paranoid.

Then it hit her like whiplash.

Mr. Fallen Angel! Where was he? Annabeth inclined her head to glance around, just to find out that Percy was holding her in a vice-grip. She tried to wiggle a bit, but he didn't even glance at her for a second. His gaze was fixated at something above them.

Annabeth frowned and looked up. The huge buildings allowed little sunlight to fall into the alley, and even though she squinted, she was unable to find the angel. _Did he turn himself invisible?_ she partly wondered. _Isn't that cheating? Or is he too high up for me to see?_

She glanced up once again and almost jumped out of her skin. There he was, hovering a few metres above, his massive black wings spread out in all their glory. Had he just appeared out of nowhere? Annabeth cursed herself for not paying more attention. In that moment, she started to regret coming there a little. _Stop,_ she ordered mentally. _Don't regret your decisions now. It will only mess up things._

Peeking at Percy through the corner of her eye, she nudged him slightly to gain his attention. His eyes focussed on her for a fleeting moment and he loosened his hold on her. Annabeth scooted away slightly. She was the sure that the fallen angel knew of her presence, but he didn't even spare a glance at her. Not that she was complaining, just stating a fact.

He seemed more interested in glaring at Percy.

And freaking vice-versa.

Those two just kept scowling at each other. Not a single movement. Nothing. They were so still that Annabeth was beginning to get uncomfortable and started shifting from one foot to another without realising it.

She wondered why the angel was not attacking. Maybe he was waiting for Percy to attack (which was ironic to such an extent that Annabeth wanted to smack her forehead against a hardcover book). Fidgeting with the handle of her dagger, she glanced around for any surprise attacks.

"I've finally found you."

Annabeth turned her head in surprise. This was the first time the fallen angel had spoken, and his voice held no emotion whatsoever. His unnerving stare was still fixated on the demon. "My master desires your death."

And then Annabeth realised with a start that he was actually talking to her. She watched as his hand slowly moved to his side to grip his sword.

"It would be an honour for me to kill you," he whispered.

There was a low growl, followed by a snarl. Percy stepped in front of her. "Try it. I dare you."

Mr. Fallen Angel just narrowed his eyes at him in return. "Well," he began slowly. "I guess I'll have to kill you first."

"Please," Percy drawled. "It's obvious that _I_ will kill _you_ first." Annabeth looked at him in surprise. His voice held a dark tone she had never heard before. It ...was scary, and she felt a shiver run through her. Puzzled with the sudden sensation, she blinked, bewildered. _What was that?_

But before she could blink another time, Percy let out a loud growl and lashed out with his claws elongated. And it seemed that Mr. Fallen Angel didn't have the time to blink either, for his sword was knocked out of his hand before he could even swing it, which made him lose his balance and land on his side ungraciously.

If all this had not been such a serious matter, such a comedic scene could have gained her a lot of views on YouTube.

Probably.

While Percy strangled the angel (well, that's what she thought he was doing), Annabeth chided herself for merely standing there and watching. But then again, what could she possibly do?

Her eyes widened as a sudden thought approached her. Get the sword! And then she faltered. What would she achieve by doing that? Ah well, at least the angel won't have his weapon anymore. But what if it was a trap...? Oh screw it all! She wouldn't be able to achieve anything if she continued to overanalyse things.

When she was sure that the two of them were preoccupied with, um, trying to kill each other, she made a dash for the sword (as stealthily as she could, which wasn't much to be perfectly honest). The golden sword wasn't hard to notice, because it was, well, shiny. Very shiny. It had landed a few feet away, and Annabeth glanced in every possible direction before glancing down and picking it up, making her feel very much like a thief robbing a house for the first time.

And then the sword turned into a gold coin, right in front of her.

Annabeth wasn't even surprised anymore.

 _Are you serious?!_ She shouted internally. _What the hell just happened, huh? Did I do something wrong? Is this some sort of a timer-bomb or something? What should I do now? I shouldn't have picked this up! This is frustrating! I am stupid! Something is really wrong with my neurons. Maybe I should..._

Et cetera, et cetera.

Holding the coin in her hand gingerly, she glanced around to see how Percy was doing. He was nowhere to be seen. Frowning slightly, she saw a flash from the corner of her eye and looked up. Faintly seeing two figures, she looked back down, blinking furiously. Squinting up at them gave her a headache.

So, now what?

She had the sword-coin, and now she had no idea what to do except stand awkwardly.

Her mind started to wander. If they were fighting up in the sky, wouldn't the angel have an advantage, considering his wings and whatnot? Or would it put him at a drawback? Percy could easily aim at his wings and then he would fall down... Maybe. Was that how angels worked?

Annabeth stared at her feet. Perhaps she should walk over to a corner, instead standing in the middle of the alleyway. But going to a corner meant walking into darkness, and who knew what might be lurking there. Nope. Bad idea, Chase. Stay where you are, like the dexterous person you are.

Toying with the coin and feeling very useless, Annabeth sighed quietly, hoping that Percy was alright.

Then she heard a low growl.

It was not a Percy-growl. His growl wasn't that unnerving. This was more of a I-am-so-pissed-right-now-I-wanna-kill-someone-hey-how-about-that-chick-right-there-huh type of growl. (Though Annabeth was bamboozled how all of a sudden she was able to distinguish between different sorts of growls.) Sucking a quick, sharp breath, she turned her head.

A pair of glowering red eyes stared back at her.

"Well, shit."

-o-o-o-

Percy saw red. And that had nothing whatsoever to do with his demonic iris colour. It meant that he was angry. Very angry. Livid beyond himself. All other synonyms.

All in all, there were three things that pissed him off right then: a) the fallen angel had the nerve to threaten _his_ mate in front of _him_ with a straight face, b) the bastard dodged all his attacks effortlessly with that stupid smile on his face, and c) he had no idea whether Annabeth was fine or not.

But one thing was clear, offensive and direct attacks were futile with the fallen angel. That meant Percy would have to distract him and sneakily attack him. After all, demons never played fair.

"Who is this master you were talking about?" Percy desperately tried to start a conversation. The more the angel talked, the more distracted he would be.

"I would be a fool if I reveal that to you." No expression on his face.

Percy's lip curled up into a sneer. "You're enough of a fool to be fighting me right now."

"I have no intention of fighting you," the angel hissed, folding his black wings behind him and perching himself on the roof of some building. "You're the one who is making this difficult. I'm after the girl."

"As if I'll let you have her! Why do you even want her?" He tried not to sound anxious. His plan appeared to be working.

"My master desires her."

"And why is that?" Percy prodded.

The angel's face scrunched up. Finally a reaction other than glaring. "I don't know."

Percy raised his eyebrows. "Really now?"

"I honestly don't know. My master did not tell me."

"And you just listened to him and went after her?"

"I don't-"

Percy cut him off. "Has it ever occurred to you that your master is merely using you?"

"He's not-"

"Why did you sin?"

Percy watched as the scowl fell off his face and his eyes glazed over. The question had absolutely caught him off-guard. Percy grinned to himself, before lunging at him. The angel was not quick enough, and his wings ended up getting scraped. With a hiss of pain, the angel stumbled and fell down ungraciously. Oh, the irony.

Percy let a smirk grace his face as he stared at him. He loved this part, torturing his enemies and getting information out of them. He took a step forward, but his sensitive hearing suddenly made him stop.

 _"_ _Well, shit."_

He was sure that it was Annabeth's voice. Snarling to himself, he glared at angel. He would have to take care of him quickly. It seemed like Annabeth was in trouble.

-o-o-o-

 _Oh my God, please don't kill me!_ was the first thing Annabeth thought. She stared in horror at the – whatever that thing was – as it stepped out of the shadows and bared his fangs at her. It looked like a giant dog or something, or was it a wolf?

Whatever it was, it didn't look happy.

Quite the opposite, actually.

Shit, shit, shit! What now, what now? Annabeth snapped out of her daze and yanked her dagger out of her jacket and held it in front of her. The wolf growled at her and took a step forward.

It was one of the most hideous creatures Annabeth had seen. Sharp fangs embraced both of its jaws, its mouth foamed, and its eyes were ruby red with no pupils. The growl seemed to resonate with the atmosphere. Annabeth almost shuddered. Black fur glistened in the little sunlight that graced the alley. Its claws were outstretched, ready to attack.

Damn it, she knew it was a trap.

If fortune was on her side, there was a chance that her dagger might hit the monster if she hurtled it with enough force. If not, then... She decided not to think about it. _Be optimistic,_ she assured herself.

There was a snarl, and the monster rushed forward. Annabeth steeled herself and raised the dagger-

But the beast just ran past her.

She gaped as looked at the beast run through the alley. Where was it going? To Percy? She wondered if she should follow after it, but then glanced back. What if there were more of its kind lurking behind? Annabeth steeled herself and gave her a mental pat on the back, before following the beast into the darkness.

-o-o-o-

 **This chapter is... Screw it, I have no idea what this shit is.. I just hope it's not very disappointing. Yeah, cliffhanger again. Sorry.**

 **Also, I'm like trying my best to attempt Percy POV. It's not that great as of yet, but I hope to improve.**

 **Q1: Any idea what the beast is?**

 **Q2: Just out of curiosity, what are the three things in life that are most important to you? For me, it's family, food and my wi-fi connection. XD LOL jk. It's hard to tell exactly three things when there are so much more. Friends, sleep, my bed, my books, my headphones.**

 **Just want to know more about my fellow readers. :) Also, I'll start replying to reviews from next chap onwards. I don't really do that sort of thing,but then it seemed rude on my side. So I'm going to do that at the beginning of each chapter. Those who don't want to read it can just skip.**

 **Please R &R!**

 **~Kani**


	12. I Am Stupid

**Guess who's back with another shitty chapter? *gets hit by a banana***

 **Hello my Rubies (can I call y'all that?)! What's up? How are you? I hope all my reader are doing good! Thank you for supporting me! Like, seriously! Also, gonna keep this short, because update!**

 **Also, DWTD hit 221 reviews, 147 favourites and 251 follows! All thanks to you guys! *sends virtual hugs to everyone* You guys are so awesome istg I'm crying!**

 **Disclaimer: Same old shit. I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.**

 **Chapter 12: I Am Stupid:**

Annabeth could not see the beast. It was already out of sight, but she hoped that she was on the right track. Well, her uncertainty was quite ridiculous. There were no twists and turns, just a straight, dingy narrow passageway. Obviously, she was on the right track.

But then she snorted. Sure, it was just a one-way path, but you could never tell with paranormal creatures. Creatures like that could teleport whenever they wanted and could appear out of nowhere. What if somebody was following her?

Shit. As much as she hated to admit it, thoughts like that scared her. She was already more than half-paranoid. _Now is not the time to think about that Annabeth,_ she reminded herself continued running as fast her legs could take her. _Just concentrate on what's ahead._

Wait. How was she even able to think rationally during such a crisis?

Pfft.

In the hurry, she had forgotten the fact that she was still clutching her good old bronze dagger (which seemed like her only ally during such circumstances). Under normal situations, she would've felt awkward, but that wasn't the time. To hell with awkwardness. She had much more important things to take care of.

Her palms were sweaty. Her legs were close enough to shaking. She couldn't even breathe properly. Yet she willed herself to run faster. _This is the shit that happens when you decide to be lazy for most of your life and not exercise,_ she thought dryly.

Annabeth wasn't really sure why she was so worried about Percy. After all, he was a demon. He was, without any doubt, a million times more powerful than her, and she was sure that he could take care of himself without her help.

But something felt wrong. It was like a sudden change in the air, tingling her skin. It felt as if something terrible could happen if she didn't hurry. Now, Annabeth was no fortune-teller, but she trusted her intuition enough.

Percy would be angry at her, though. Definitely angry. Livid.

 _And that only shows how much he cares about me, his mate._

Wait, what?

A feeling of guilt rose inside her.

Now as she thought about it, Percy had already saved her life once. Sure, he was cocky, and he had wanted to rush things, but Annabeth was starting to feel that perhaps she had been too overdramatic. He had found her after who knows how many years. It was obvious that he had wanted to touch her.

How did things end up like this?

In the end, it was both of their faults.

But whatever. He had saved her life, and the least she could do was help (and not get herself killed while she was at it). Part of her felt ridiculous for simply rushing. She didn't even know properly if the beast went to attack him, or if Percy had summoned it. Could demons do that? Summon creatures from the underground? It made her realise how less she actually knew about him.

Heck, was the beast even _headed_ at _him_?

That thought almost made her stop in her tracks. _Holy shit! If the beast ends up going somewhere else, I'm going to scream. I repeat: How did things end up like this? Why does my life suck so much? What is life anymore?_

She was supposed to be the smart one. The intelligent one. She was not the type of person who rushed into decisions. But it seemed that change in circumstances could lead to change in behaviour as well. In simple words, Annabeth realised how stupid her actions had been this entire time.

 _Stop thinking so much, idiot._

That was until she heard a howl few feet away from her, followed by a loud scream and a crash. Annabeth felt herself freeze unknowingly. Her body had started to tremble. Though she hated it, she had to admit that she was feeling terrified. Percy was right. She shouldn't have come. All this was messed up. But too late to back out.

She took a few seconds to catch her breath, letting out a few coughs. _Let Percy be okay._ Wincing slightly at the pain in her knees, she took off again in the direction of the scream. However, the sight in front of her was an unexpected one.

It only took her about a minute to reach the crime scene. And what she saw left her brain, putting it simply, confuzzled.

It seemed to be the darkest part of the alley. So dark, that Annabeth could hardly see the path, but she could still make out two distinct familiar figures. The beast was nowhere to be seen. Either it had disappeared, or it had not headed towards them after all.

After taking a few alert steps forward, she let out a quiet gasp.

The angel/Mr Fallen Angel was lying on the stony ground of the alleyway, and to say the least, it was quite the gruesome sight she had ever seen. Cuts and scratches marred his body. His eyes were closed, his lips bloody, his left cheek bleeding. And the most surprising thing that it was _golden blood_. Not red, but golden. As she took a closer look, she noticed that his entire body seemed to be covered in his golden blood. His wings were nowhere to be seen.

Pipes would've fainted had she been here.

Then she noticed a strange, weird mark on his neck. It was an ugly red, almost glowing in the darkness. It was some symbol that she couldn't make out. Had the mark always been there? It didn't look like a tattoo. The skin surrounding it was scratched and marred in a revolting manner.

Yet he still managed to look beautiful. Well, as beautiful as he could in his ghastly condition. (That didn't make much sense, but never mind).

But where was Percy?

Annabeth was sure she had seen him. She looked around, before noticing him huddled in a corner, his hands covering his eyes. He had a really bad wound on his shoulder. It seemed as if violent tremors were wrecking his body. A normal person would've thought that he was shivering, but Annabeth knew that was not the case.

When she walked closer to him tentatively, his gaze snapped up to meet hers. Her breath stopped. His red eyes looked broken and angry. She almost let out a whimper. What had happened to him? What had he done? _Was he hurt?_

"What are you doing here?" he snarled.

"I – I saw this monster... So, uh, I thought... I mean – I wanted to help. I thought it was going to, um, attack you, so, uh, yeah." Her voice kept getting weaker and weaker under the pressure of his intense gaze.

"Monster," he repeated slowly. "What monster?"

"I- I don't know." She gulped, unsure. "Didn't you see one? Didn't you summon one?"

"What?" his frown deepened. "No, I didn't." Clenching his jaw, he stood up slowly. "Whatever the matter, you shouldn't have come. Are you stupid? I warned you to not put yourself in unnecessary trouble."

 _I was worried about you,_ she wanted to say, but her voice seemed to stop working. "Are you hurt?" she asked quietly. _YOU STUPID IDIOT! OF COURSE HE'S HURT. YOU HAVE SEEN HIS WOUND WITH YOUR OWN TWO EYES! WHY THE HECK ARE YOU EVEN ASKING SUCH A STU-_

"It's not as bad as it seems."

"What happened to-" Annabeth trailed off as she glanced at Mr Fallen Angel.

"You don't want to know," his eyes darkened even further as he stared at the angel's seemingly lifeless body. "I think I have found out who his master was."

"Was?" Annabeth asked.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," he turned to her with a sinister smirk. "I'm his new master."

-o-o-o-

The moment was quite anticlimactic. Percy had picked up the angel's motionless body and heaved him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. And then he had teleported all of them back to Annabeth's house.

Just like that.

Just. Like. That.

Repeat: anticlimactic.

Annabeth massaged her forehead lightly as she dropped herself on one of her sofas. So, basically, she had run up to Percy for nothing. The beast had seemed to just vanish. All that running, gone to waste!

She had described the beast to Percy after coming back.

"A hellhound," he'd said. "That's definitely a hellhound. Though I have no idea what one was doing out there. Because I surely didn't summon one."

Apparently he also had a pet _hellhound_ back home. Annabeth shuddered at the thought. Demons and their weird pets.

Percy had taken the angel up to her bedroom, despite her initial protests. That angel was definitely to get blood all over her sheets (or _ichor,_ Percy called it, the blood of the Heavenly ones). Then again, Annabeth was too tired to make a complaint, so she just let him be. _It's going to be real trouble cleaning those bedsheets,_ she grumbled mentally.

Too many thoughts were running through her mind.

Percy had claimed that he was the angel's new master, yet he refused to explain the term specifically. He had ignored Annabeth's inquiries about the entire fight with the angel: what had happened? How had he become the new master? How had he defeated him? What was the strange mark?

And in the midst of all that shit, Annabeth (for the first time) felt like a dumb potato in a trash bin.

"This is like some cliché story," she muttered to herself. "A shitty story with a shitty plot written by a shitty author."

She needed coffee. Bad.

Part of her wanted to barge into her bedroom and demand to know what the fuck was going on. But Percy had 'strictly forbidden' her to enter her personal paradise. So, yeah. That was the reason she was sitting like a rag doll on her not-as-comfy-as-her-bed sofa.

Also, the angel's name was Jason. As she'd said earlier, Percy hadn't explained the stuff properly. It seemed that he now he shared a bond with the angel – she meant Jason – now that he'd become his master. Again, Annabeth had no clue what that meant.

She heard a few blood-curdling screams come from upstairs. Goosebumps ran down her body. _I change my mind. I definitely do not want to know what's going on there._ She feebly hoped that none of her neighbours notices the noises. If they did...

The sword-coin thing Jason had used as a weapon was still with her. Her dagger was stupidly hidden in a flower vase on one of the kitchen counters. As she got up to make herself a cup of caffeine, only one thought ran through her mind. _You're useless. You only excel at studying. Other than that, you're no good._ She unconsciously tightened her fists around her coffee mug.

A few minutes later, she could hear the sound of footsteps treading downstairs. She turned her head to see an extremely worn-out Percy running a hand through his hair. His eyes were back to their normal shade of sea-green. He sat down on the sofa beside her, not saying anything. Instead, he wrapped his arms around one of her cushions and buried his nose in it.

 _Cute,_ Annabeth thought lazily.

Then the sight of his shoulder caught her eye.

"How's your wound?" she asked slowly.

He scoffed. "I already told you. It's nothing. I'm fine. It'll heal." He spoke in abrupt curt sentences.

They both sat in an uncomfortable silence.

"Hey," Annabeth exclaimed suddenly. He hummed in response. "I'm... I'm sorry."

He tensed for a moment, before inclining his face towards her, such that his cheek was pressed against the soft velvet material of the cushion he was holding. There was a slight frown, but somehow he ended up looking adorable. Very adorable.

 _Holy shit Annabeth what are you even thinking!_

"What for?" he said, his voice as soft as the cushion he was holding.

"For everything," Annabeth pursed her lips. "For every stupid thing I've done till now. Listen, I'm usually not like this, but you manage to bring out this other side of me. Like, you get me mad over the smallest of things, and then I end up reacting like an idiot. But I'm not saying it's entirely your fault, because honestly speaking, it's kind of mine as well, because logically thinking about it, it seems-" she rambled on, not noticing the smirk that now rested on his face.

"Whatever," she said finally. "I'm sorry for being a bitch. I mean, you've been very nice to me lately. And, um, you've also kinda helped my friend out. So. Yeah," she ended lamely.

"You're not a bitch," he laughed softly. "It's partly my fault as well. Because honestly speaking about it," he mimicked her, "you manage to bring out the other side me."

"I don't sound like that."

"I know. Acting was never one of my best talents."

"Liar."

"Oops," he laughed again.

 _He has a really nice laugh. Wait. Annabeth, what is wrong with you?!_

He grinned at her all of a sudden. Annabeth felt her cheeks warm up. Of course. She had forgotten. He could sense her emotions.

"How's Jason?" she changed the topic.

"Sleeping," he answered. "Probably won't wake up until tomorrow."

"What?" Annabeth frowned. "Hey, you still haven't told me ho-"

"Can this wait till later?" he cut her off. "I'm really not in the mood right now, Annabeth."

"Oh, kay." There was silence once again. "Um, hey," she began again awkwardly.

"What now?"

"Should I remove that?"

"What?"

"That," she pointed towards the agate necklace.

He blinked at her. "This?" he fingered the agate rose as his eyes glazed over. "It's better if you don't."

The tone of his voice didn't make her question him further. They sat in silence, _yet again._ The tension was real.

"I'm tired," he mumbled after some time.

"Then sleep," Annabeth said seriously. "You should really take a nap right now." She took a sip of her coffee and licked her lips, not noticing that his eyes followed her every move. "We should talk once you wake up."

"Talk? About what?"

"I don't know, really. You don't much about me. I don't know much about you. Let's just get to know each other. Have a normal conversation, which we've never had. Also, wasn't there something you'd wanted to tell me about?" Annabeth smiled at him. "I'll even order pizza if you want," she joked. "We can also spend the night watching rom-com movies and having a makeover."

He smiled as well. _Oh God somebody protect me from this-_ "How touching," he rubbed his eyes. "I guess you're right. I should rest," he blinked innocently at her. "Can I hold you?"

Annabeth froze. But she didn't drop her mug. That, all in itself was an amazing feat. "Pardon?"

"Can I hold you?" he repeated, his voice becoming wearier every time. "Please?"

Annabeth didn't even think twice. "Of course."

-o-o-o-

 **IMPORTANT!**

 **It's been long, huh? Like, I always have these thoughts like, "Okay, I'll definitely update today!" But then some shit happens or I get lazy and the chapter gets delayed.**

 **Also, another thing. I have just begun writing a story on Wattpad. So, like, I would appreciate a lot if you guys check it out. It's not a fanfic, so I can't really post it here. My Wattpad username is Kani_DazzlingRuby (with the underscore). So, like, I'm not forcing you guys or anything! It entirely depends on your wish! But I would really appreciate it if you guys check it out!**

 **Again, no pressure!**

 **Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Please R &R! (Bet y'all thought that was Mrs O'Leary. Lol nope.)**

 **Q1: How old are you guys? I mean, I turned sixteen this May. What about you?**

 **~ Kani**


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